The fitness benefits of a good bike ride (both physical and mental) are well known. People with physical challenges or disabilities have found that riding trails is a great way to stay fit and boost mood.

Most suburban areas in the United States are created for the able-bodied individuals who own a car. Neighborhoods rarely have sidewalks, and many roads are long connecting points between neighborhoods and shopping centers. While suburbia may be a great area for a casual stroll, it’s not exactly great for those trying to get from home to work.

An accessible world is crucial for people of all abilities to work, live, and play. However, even in the most progressive cities, people with disabilities struggle to live their lives, which only gets worse in the suburbs and rural areas.

With an estimated one billion people to become urban-dwellers by 2050, many cities recognize the need to shift to more accessibility. Beyond the physical difficulty of navigating city and suburban obstacles, many individuals with disabilities must deal with a level of fear as they try to move through a world that is more or less inaccessible.

Pedestrians with disabilities are particularly at risk when it comes to street safety. As the largest minority group in the United States at 20 percent of the population, people with disabilities are still under-served—especially when it comes to pedestrian safety.

Pedestrian fatalities have been on the rise since 2008, in fact, between 2007 and 2017, pedestrian fatalities increased by 35%, and more than a third of those fatalities occurred on local streets—not highways or state roads. And 2018 was projected to have the most deaths since 1990.

This fact is sobering, and it doesn’t have to be that way.

For the urban landscape, sidewalks have become a type of no man’s land for city commuters — not only for pedestrians but also for cyclists. Since vehicles rule the road, pedestrians and cyclists are at-risk anytime they walk or ride in the road. To remain safe, city cyclists and pedestrians often turn to the sidewalk. 

While many cities want their residents and commuters to move away from using cars and encourage bicycling, pedestrians in some cases see this shift as dangerous.