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.

Individuals with disabilities must navigate a world designed for people with vision and mobility, and one tool that helps to make the world more accessible is navigational bar tiles. These directional tile surfaces consist of raised bars that align with the direction of pedestrian travel. These navigational directional bar tiles help people to locate the entrance to light rails, trains, and bus stops.

A companion to detectable warning tiles, navigational and directional bar tiles serve an essential purpose of guiding individuals with disabilities in the flow of traffic.

The Arizona State Transportation Board finalized and approved the 2022-2026 Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program with plans for major corridor improvements, pavement upgrades, and more for highways. The next five years will include highway improvements from widening highways to improving safety that will cost $1 billion annually.

In the United States alone, over two million school-aged children have a disability, and studies show that this number is growing. With this population on the rise, it is important that society keeps up by providing accessible activities at every level, including in school activities and extracurricular opportunities. One of the ways that this can be done is by creating summer camps that are accessible to all children of all abilities—this helps normalize all levels of ability for all children.

Amusement parks are meant to be fun for everyone, but that can be difficult to ensure for individuals with disabilities. Due to the public nature of amusement and theme parks, they fall under the jurisdiction of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), meaning that they must meet certain accessibility guidelines. The ADA provides standards for the creation and use of amusement rides, water rides, swimming pools, and so much more.

As cities and universities seek ways to lessen their negative impact on the environment, more and more people are turning to biking. Not only is biking a good form of exercise, it is also a cost-efficient solution for many nearby commutes while also not adding any more exhaust fumes to the environment.

For some, biking can be a scary or uncertain option because it often includes biking on the road or some dangerous intersections. To help make biking safer, check out these tips for your bike commute.

When it comes to city bicyclists and city sidewalks, it is not only often dangerous to bike on a city sidewalk, but can be illegal as well. City to city, laws differ. So while cities may consider sidewalk biking illegal, others may not. If you’re considering biking on the sidewalk, check your city’s laws first. But regardless of legality, recognize that cycling on sidewalks may pose danger to bicyclists, pedestrians, and even drivers.

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 setting, bike lanes can offer many benefits to the community. More and more cities are seeking ways to cut down on congestion while also improving the environment, and these cities are turning to the bicycle. However, the addition of e-bikes and shared bicycles is creating its own number of problems.

A protected bicycle sidewalk is a pathway designated specifically for bikes, usually marked with signs, curbs, or posts to separate the bicycle lane from automobile traffic on the street. Bike-friendly routes create an urban environment that makes biking not only practical but safer too. A protected bicycle lane can cut down on commuter congestion and city pollution.