View source for Curb cut

== Enforcement and lack thereof ==

In the United States, installation of curb cuts is legally mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Shortly after the act's passage, a court ruling interpreted the act as requiring the installation of curb cuts whenever a street is [[Road surface|repaved]], under the rationale that "If a street is to be altered to make it more usable for the general public, it must also be made more usable for those with ambulatory disabilities".<ref name=TuStreetsblogLA>{{cite web|last=Tu|first=Marilyn|url=https://la.streetsblog.org/2026/02/27/disrespectful-and-infuriating-l-a-s-progress-on-making-streets-safe-and-accessible-for-disabled-people-stalled-for-decades|title="Disrespectful" and "infuriating": L.A.'s progress on making streets safe and accessible for disabled people stalled for decades|work=Streetsblog<!-- Despite the name, this is an edited publication, not a blog. --> LA|date=2026-02-27}}</ref> Despite this, compliance with the ADA with regard to curb cut installation has been spotty in many US cities, and advocates have often resorted to lawsuits to compel cities to install curb cuts. Aside from installation issues, curb cuts are not always maintained in working order, or are rendered unusable by [[Illegal parking|illegally parked]] autos or failure to clear obstacles such as accumulated snow.<ref>https://www.masslive.com/boston/2026/02/putting-my-body-at-risk-boston-sidewalks-curb-cuts-impassable-2-weeks-after-storm.html</ref><ref name=DonahueWHYY>{{cite news|url=https://whyy.org/articles/new-app-reports-parking-violations-using-laser-vision/|title=A new app allows Philadelphians to report parking violations using 'laser vision'|last=Donahue|first=Gabriel|work=WHYY}}</ref>

The city of Seattle agreed as part of a 2017 lawsuit settlement to install 1250 curb cuts each year for 18 years.<ref name=Urbanist>https://www.theurbanist.org/2017/07/24/disability-rights-victory-means-curb-cut-deluge-coming/</ref>

The city of Colorado Springs agreed as part of a 2019 lawsuit to install 1100 curb cuts each year for 14 years.<ref>https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2019/03/22/settling-lawsuit-over-accessibility-for-disabled-was-the-easy-part-now-colorado-springs-has-to-find-the-money-dc834aa6-4c9f-11e9-b0fc-bb79d5766ebe/</ref>

The city of Boston agreed as part of a 2021 lawsuit settlement to upgrade or repair {{gaps|15|000}} curb cuts over the subsequent decade.<ref name=AdamgUniversal /> However, renewed legal action just two years later alleged that the city had already fallen behind on the installation schedule, had installed ramps that were already falling apart, and had installed ramps that never met federal safety standards in the first place.<ref name=AdamgUniversal>{{cite news|url=https://www.universalhub.com/2024/boston-falling-far-behind-court-settlement|title=Boston falling far behind in court settlement for installing new, safe handicap ramps at intersections, advocates charge in calling for a contempt ruling}}</ref>

The city of Philadelphia agreed as part of a 2022 lawsuit settlement to install 2000 curb cuts every three years for the subsequent 15 years.<ref name=SchmidtWHYY>https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-curb-cut-settlement-ada-what-to-know/</ref>

In Los Angeles, a turn-of-the-century plan to install {{gaps|40|000}} curb cuts ended after several years, having installed just over half that number, and by 2025 the city averaged about 50 curb cut installations per year.<ref name=TuStreetsblogLA /> At the same time, the city categorized an increasing number of its road resurfacing activities as "large asphalt repair", a term viewed by some urban planners and transportation engineers as a creative attempt to circumvent ADA mandates for curb cut installation and mandates under the 2024 [[Measure HLA]] to install pedestrian- and cyclist-oriented street improvements.<ref name=TuStreetsblogLA />