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Buildings

6.2 Access ramps on public highways

The principal entrance to a building should be accessible for disabled and non-disabled people alike. Many existing small shops and similar buildings have steps and doorways which are inaccessible to some people, such as wheelchair users.

Possible solutions include:

an internal ramp
an inset doorway and entrance ramp
a short-rise platform lift
eliminating a step by moving a doorway along the facade alongside a rising footway
a call/pager, enabling a disabled customer to request service or summon help from outside the premises.

At some locations it may be possible to regrade or reshape the pavement, to raise it to the threshold levels of existing buildings. This requires the prior permission of the Highway Authority (by a Highway Opening Order under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991). It is important that any regrading is done carefully to avoid creating gradients which would cause a problem for pedestrians on the footway.

The construction of a ramp on a footway (public highway) can be considered only if it is structurally impossible to achieve a satisfactory solution within the curtilage of the building and/or by footway regrading. An access ramp on a public highway will not always be approved.

The need for a ramp must be balanced against the following considerations:

maintaining access for statutory undertakers to underground pipes, cables and equipment
preserving adequate footway width
ensuring the safe passage of pedestrians along the footway, e.g. a ramp may present a hazard to visually impaired people.

If approval is given, it is recommended that a licence or legal agreement be drawn up, setting out responsibilities and liabilities for maintenance and repairs etc.

External ramps, External ramps design criteria, Temporary/portable ramps, Internal ramps

next part of fact sheet 6.2