My Dream Accessible City, 2043

By 2043 I will be in my late eighties and possibly dependent on an electric wheelchair. My dream for an accessible city is one where sidewalks are cleared of snow wide enough for mobility devices to pass through, and for corners of sidewalks also to be cleared of the snow plowed there by snowplows. Currently, walls of snow at intersections block users of mobility devices from safely crossing intersections. In Winter 2022, using my mobility device I had to exit the sidewalk via a driveway and mix with motorized traffic to cross an intersection because of these walls of snow, merely to get to a bus stop. In my dream accessible city, such risks are not necessary.

Another dream of mine for an accessible city is one where all doors to public, medical, and retail buildings can be opened with a remote control operated by the user of the mobility device. Currently, not all buildings on Kitchener have so much as a “handicapped” button, and I encountered a medical building in Kitchener that is not accessible by walking device; the only way to access the building is via steps.

For transportation, my dream is that the current public transit accommodations will remain in place for accessibility. An improvement would be large bus shelters at all stops near medical buildings and senior residences to accommodate multiple walking devices. In my dreams, these will be kept clear of snow and the sidewalks will also be kept clear of snow to make it possible for mobility devices to access them for medical appointments and shopping. Fewer Mobility Plus Busses would be needed if bus stops were accessible year round.

My dream city’s parklands will also be accessible for the person with mobility device to access, to sit for a while with friends or to observe, enjoy, and photograph nature. An accessible park means sidewalks that are level with the surrounding lawns, allowing the mobility device to roll onto the lawn and sit for a while. It will also mean accessible washrooms for wheelchairs and accessible walkways to get there. Ideally, studies will be done by engineers and/or other specialists to determine what material will be best suited for accessible roadbed (gravel or sand would be difficult to push through) and what design of walkway and surrounding lawn will make parklands most accessible.

Below are photos of the sidewalk through the greenspace at the intersection of Weber St. E. and Cedar St. N. It is a patchwork of accessibility.

Figure 1: Some sidewalk edges prevent mobility device from rolling on and off the walkway while others are level with lawn.

Figure 2 At the Cedar St. end, on this side by the trees, the edge of the sidewalk is 10 cm higher than the lawn beside it. See a close-up of this edge below.

Completing this patchwork of accessibility/inaccessibility is the Weber St. side where the sidewalk and lawn are level. See Figure 3. In my dream accessible city, operators of mobility devices can choose to sit in the lawn under the shade trees on hot days; they do not have to choose between sitting in a sunny spot that is accessible on a hot day and sitting in the middle of the public walkway that is under a shade tree. They can sit where they are comfortable and enjoy nature or friends.

Figure 3: From Weber St. we don't see the exposed edges of the sidewalk. From this side the lawn and walkway are level. See a close-up below.