Technically the following wheelchair ramps are a success, in that they bridge the gap between two levels by way of an inclined surface. The problem though, lies in the fact they’re incredibly difficult and/or somehow infuriating to use for the average wheelchair user – if not impossible – and could actually even cause more problems than they solve. It’s good to see ramps appearing around the world in an effort to make certain areas accessible to wheelchair users, but a little common sense and an ounce of forward-thinking would help to make their experience a lot more agreeable.
Above: Most wheelchair users would be unable to ascend the ramp in Mexico, and for someone with assistance the three steps would be a much easier route to take.
Above: A nasty surprise is in store for any wheelchair-bound person attempting to use this ridiculous, incredibly dangerous ramp in Auckland.
Above: Infuriating rather than dangerous, this ramp in Vancouver manages to stretch a very modest ascent over a relatively mammoth, twist-laden journey.
Above: To ascend such a ramp must be nigh on impossible for those of average strength. To descend would be amazingly risky.
Above: Surely another impossible ramp to navigate for any normal person.
Above: Quite possibly the longest, steepest wheelchair ramp on earth.
Above: Hideously selfish parking aside, the inclusion of steps at the foot of this wheelchair ramp is baffling to say the least.
Above: Sure, some ramp is better than no ramp, but to leave three steps uncovered really does reek of laziness.
Above: Another incredibly steep ramp that would surely be impossible to scale without assistance from a person of considerable strength.
It may be worth noting that the 5th picture from the top looks an awful lot like bike ramps, not wheelchair a wheelchair ramp. These “bike ramps” exist to help people get their bikes up stairs and can be seen in Madison, WI, a very bike-friendly city.
GREAT!!!I can tell my friends there’s a great place for riding your bike!But if you go there on vacation;I can’t go;There’s no place for a wheelchair!!!!!!
I differ on the very bike friendly part of your comment.
My daughter rode her bike from Colorado to Montreal and back. She was robbed in Madison. Passport and other ID , Money, and good feelings. Not very bike friendly if you ask me.
How a city is built and how bad the crime there is, is two different things lol
At least picture 4, 5 and 6 are NOT wheelchair ramps. Those are for baby-carriages and mail-carts and similar.
Yeah, thats why they leave the stairs in the middle.
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I think the 6th image is actually designed to place bicycle wheels into and then walk alongside, not wheelchairs.
Some of these are probably (1) bicycle ramps, so you can walk up the steps while pushing your bike, (2) ramps designed for someone pushing someone in a wheelchair (3) ramps for childrens’ push-chairs.
The “longest, steepest wheelchair ramp on earth” is actually to accommodate cyclists. Some of the others appear to be intended for moving appliances rather than for wheelchairs.
Infuriating Wheelchair Ramps…
Technically the following wheelchair ramps are a success, in that they bridge the gap between two levels by way of an inclined surface. The problem though, lies in the fact they’re incredibly difficult and/or somehow infuriating to use for the average …
I’ll agree that some of those are just silly, but I think some of them are actually intended for strollers and not wheelchairs.
The second one, is in Mairangi Bay of Auckland, New Zealand. It’s not a wheelchair ramp. It’s for launching small craft into the sea. When the tide comes in the bottom of it is in the water. The building in the background is a surf life saving club.
Are you sure? That grass makes it look as though the sea doesnt get that far up. I would have put that one down to a subsiding beach myself, that has left the original construction behind.
If that were the case, then you’d have to wonder about the feasibility of a wheelchair operating on a beach, in the sand, before even getting to the ramp.
If that were the case, then the trouble isn’t the ramp, but getting to the ramp through the sand on the beach. Most wheelchairs I’ve seen don’t handle sandy areas very well.
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Some of those aren’t designed for wheelchairs; they’re for pushchairs, hence the impossibly steep gradients.
How do you know these are all wheelchair ramps? Several of the ones you consider the worst have no signage as such. They could simply be to facilitate the use of dollies, etc.
sure, first you complain about no ramps.. now there’s too many, or it’s too steep, or it’s got bumps… fucking handicapped bastards whine like they’ve got problems… you know how much my feet hurt after a night of dancing? I do. It sucks. Hell, I got a cramp in my leg the other day after running a few miles – fucking annoying! Handicapped weenies just roll through life with none of these problems at all – lucky ducks! Next thing you know, they’re gonna want the vote. How the fuck can you let someone who can’t walk vote for president? There have to be standards…
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One of the stupidest, galactically obtuse excuses for a galactically stupid wheelchair ramp to the extent that it reminded me of a Polish joke…was that it was intened for strollers and not wheelchairs.
I’ve been in wheelchair for almost 40yrs..People/businesses seem to have a warped sense of accessibility.I bet the owner(s) of all these ramps would say that it was accessible,if asked.But,if asked,half of them would say”I can’t get up tere;IT’S TOO STEEP!!!!
Maybe for a bitch.
Most of the steep short ramps you see here are often found in Indian city houses, to help take their scooter/motor bike inside for safe parking. They usually engage gear and slowly release clutch, walking alongside the bike, till it reaches the upper level on engine power.
Thanks.
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I am in an electric wheelchair and I still would not try any of these.
I wonder if they see what is going on in California and don’t want to go through the extra effort to get sued. I.e. Chipotle ruling that is just not right.
“The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that customers in wheelchairs are denied the “Chipotle experience” of watching their food being prepared because the restaurants’ 45-inch counters are too high.”
Enough is enough.
That is why they are also known as the 9th circus court of appeals. Seriously, 79% of their rulings are always overturned.
Laws guaranteeing access are pretty much ridiculous, especially where they involve old and vintage buildings. Let the free market provide instead of the government dictate. Allowing the government to be your nanny or babysitter truly shows it is a handicap. Having a lawyer threatening to put you out of business because of some archaic law is now way to breed compassion. Having a situation (or more than one) where the business owner can see that willing and potentially paying customers cannot access his business conveys the entrepreneurial means of solving a problem and that business owner would find a way (better than the government’s way) of giving access to his place of business on his own. IF not, then patronize another business that will. Instead of government doing it, public relations will get it done.
Seriously, how many handicapped Lawry/semi-truck drivers do you know of? Well, here in the USA all places of business must be wheelchair accessible, even places where it doesn’t make any sense. This lack of common sense fuels lawyers that sue simply because there is no ramp at your warehouse or airplane factory.
These ridiculous laws, originally intended for good, end up angering those that must comply with them and much of the above (that are really genuine wheelchair ramps) happens as it’s technically compliant.
I’m not saying to not make your places of business accessible to those without functioning legs. I am saying let them decide on their own if and how it’s to be done. For example, one business I know of that is of considerable height was told they would have to spend thousands of dollars on a considerably sized zig-zag ramp to comply with the law (which would put him out of business). He asked why couldn’t he have a wheelchair elevator installed instead. He was told that it would not comply with the law. So much for ingenuity. He had to close shop and the building remains vacant.
Kindness always works better than any lawyer or government bureaucrat in these situations.
I many friends who use wheelchairs and have pushed their chairs for them. Ramps are supposed to be made with certain guidelines but many are very dangerous. A friend that was coming down a ramp with no railings by herself fell off the side and got hurt. I have quite a bit of strength but sometimes the person in the chair gets scared on very steep ramps. Please look up guidelines before building a wheelchair ramp.
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Having a handicapped mother, I’ve assisted her with more than one tricky ramp. Interestingly, engineers don’t take into consideration the foot rests on a wheel chair when designing even sidewalk to road grades. More times than not, I have to swing my mother around backwards to keep the pedals from dragging. These examples are laughable whether for strollers or wheelchairs or even for bikes. Real world examples of infuriating ramps are at the end of every sidewalk I’ve ever been to with my mother. Hideously ineffective and dangerous.
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I shall have some more nice pictures of insane wheelchair ramps… sometimes people work not knowing what they are doing… bye from Slovenia!!! stars are falling tonight!
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Here’s an even more infuriating “wheelchair ramp”:
http://www.the-wooden-hill-company.co.uk/images/arke-kloe-spiral-staircase.jpg
Look at all those bumps and gaps!
And what about this one?
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m4xMQ9f9beQ/Shrh8-3-WzI/AAAAAAAAAVU/G–E5wD_LKw/s400/ladder.jpeg
Nice, Jane.
What a dope.
When I get to that age I hope they have hoverounds that actually hover lol
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I can only add to the rest of the comments, These are not all wheel chair ramps, I repeat they are not all wheel chair ramps and it is very wrong of you to present these pictures in such away that you make it seem that they are made for wheel chair access.
The scope of the argument justifying these design mistakes is myopic in light of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of persons with Disabilities (CRPD) making explicit the full citizenship of persons with disabilities.
I have used a wheelchair 39 years and consult with the tourism industry around the world on inclusion. None of these examples are absent anywhere in the world. Those who are so quick to “correct” the identification of these ramps as wheelchair ramps should consider:
A ramp is the only form of independent access up a grade for a person using a wheelchair. Any ramp not made for safe use by a wheelchair user (i.e. made to code) is a social statement of intentional exclusion that is as legible as any sign written in any language.
One could argue that people have the same right to build motor bike ramps into their homes as they do to make any caste-based decision on who they will allow into their homes. I am not engaging that argument. One could argue the moot point that places of business should be free to design exclusions and adopt other policies that deny their products and services to customers based on their physical abilities. One could hold that states may indulge themselves with the loopholes to allow the perpetuation of public design errors such as stairways instead of ramps to include all citizens now (and the exploding aging population of the future) and “greenwash” these retrofits as for bikes, prams, hand trucks, or grocery carts.
The logic of personal lifestyles of exclusion, economic arguments of prioritization based on lack of disability, social acceptance of discrimination, or government adoption of tyranny can be persuasive.
However, no one who has ever depended on a wheelchair or taken the life of a child in their own hands as they hold a stroller at the top of a stairway or one these slide-of-death above can overlook the simple truth: “People First!”
“A ramp is the only form of independent access up a grade for a person using a wheelchair.” With all due respect, no it’s not. Elevators are commonly used to go up and down levels in the absence of a ramp. For many of the above “super steep” ramps, we don’t know if there are other access points up or down the incline; there could easily be elevators that aren’t shown, or perhaps another entrance which has the more accessible ramps.
Granted, pictures like the first one DO show a lack of “trying” to make things accessible to those in a wheelchair, and it certainly still is a problem in many places. But I wouldn’t be surprised if many of these “infuriating wheelchair ramps” above aren’t meant to be wheelchair-used at all, but a separate access point is available that just isn’t shown – and if so, labeling these as such isn’t doing anyone any justice.
I fully agree with you that businesses should make accessibility a priority, but you argument that is invalid. a ramp designed for moving goods or vehicles from one elevation to another need not do much more than that one specific job. If I see a retaining wall built in a step-like manner and I decide to climb it, and fall, I have no right to sue the owner of the property for having unsafe stairs. Also, most of these pictures offer only a narrow view of the area around them. wheelchair ramps, due to the fact they have gentler slopes than stairs are often built separate rather than parallel and adjacent due to the challenges in building these in a way that is space efficient, there could be accessible alternatives just off to the side that cannot be seen here. Also, some of these depict residential structures. Typically, homes are only outfitted with ramps if they need them, due to the cost of installing them.
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Yesterday we tried to stop at a fast-food restaurant while traveling. There was a ramp at the curb–but a 5-inch or more step at the door that was unramped! I should have taken a photo–I had the camera.
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Better than a funfair!!!
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[...] Infuriating Wheelchair Ramps » Ramp News [...]
Oh I see what you did there…
One does not mix ramps for children’s strollers from across former soviet union, with ramps meant for wheelchair bound people…
Pictures 4. 5. 6 and 8 (possibly 7) are just that, ramps for strollers, they are ridiculously steep because they are meant to be as alternative to dragging the stroller across the steps behind you or lifting it.
Sure you might sell superior ramp technology and thus it is your sacred duty to vilify existing ramps to plug your own product… but you are doing it wrong.
people who use wheelchairs are not wheelchair bound – that terminology has LONG been rejected by the community.
Please become current before complaining about others.
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@Lucy I’m sorry for not keeping up with the latest in the politically correct speech in my 4th language.
This however does nothing to invalidate my arguments.
p.s. Image #6 is for bikes and strollers.
Does it matter whether its for a stroller or not…..its still ridiculous!
You have to laugh and then you educate and then you legislate.
The world is not a perfect place. I think sometimes we forget that wheelchairs have not been out and about in large numbers for all that long.
40 years may seem like quite a stretch of time but it really isn’t.
Things are changing
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Before you become “infuriated” about these “wheelchair” ramps please do your homework. Some are wheelchair ramps but many are actually for bicycles, strollers, shopping carts, mopeds/dirt bikes, and even a small water craft launch pad. I’m all for rights for all but before you write an article, go to college on public reporting.
Multiple sets of steps are often not possible to ramp and the only means of access would be via a wheelchair platform lift which should be provided where possible.
As there is still sufficient lack of access in the UK , I would much prefer if we could have local examples of bad or no access particularly on our High Streets.
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é più facile andare a vela che prendere un’aspirina…. APO
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Baby stolers and bicycles are what many are designed for. (Steps in the middle for mom and dad)
Some of the store fronts – looks like they’re for 2 wheel dollys for moving boxes of goods.
The rest are STUPID!
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Most of these are obviously not wheelchair ramps.
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some of those ramps are not intended for baby buggy and not wheelchairs; this does not help everyone who needs a ramp for his wheelchair; but it makes the planer of some of the ramps less ridiculous.
This page – FAILS!!!!
Bike Ramps… should of done some research first… FAIL!
Picture 8 looks more like part of a skate park than a wheelchair ramp.
The third one from Vancouver was built like that because wheelchair ramps must be built with a grade of less than 6%.
linkdaddy…
Good stuff. Found this page using the keyword ‘Chair’ by the way. Everyone should bookmark this page today
…
Very nice post!
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I agree with a lot of people’s comments in saying that many of these probably ere never intended to be wheelchair ramps.
Wow, very eye opening. I’m glad that in my country their are regulations. But yes, those ramps in your picture are ridiculous.
I suspect that some of these are more for the convenience of delivery drivers with dollies than for wheelchair users.
Yeah yeah yeah, they’re ramps for bikes, pushchairs, in fact just about everybody in the world BUT wheelchair users. So the bigger question is WHY haven’t they built them to be accessible to wheelchair users? That’s even shittier than the unmodified set of steps; insult to injury and no excuse.
The incredibly steep and short ramps in the first and last pics do two things – comply with the law (assuming one exists, otherwise why bother?), while remaining within the existing property boundaries (which is a major impediment to ramp installation in many buildings). Useability isn’t a consideration, legality is.
As for those suggesting they’re baby-buggy ramps, give me a break – a normal person couldn’t even walk up them, never mind push or drag a buggy.
I tend to agree, though, that those long, steep, ramps up steps are more likely to be bike ramps.
The red one with the parked car, though, might actually be for baby-buggies, in which case the step would be no impediment, and is probably to discourage people riding bikes up it.