What's Wrong With This Photo? 10/20/18

Went to dinner last night and was standing outside waiting for the table to be ready. The restaurant provides valet parking in front of the main door to the restaurant. You can see the valet station to the left in the photo below. In fact a customer for the restaurant is using the valet service in the photo and the valet attendant is assisting. You may be able to see in the photo that this customer was going to use a walker to assist her movement into the restaurant. So what’s missing in the photo? (HINT: Think about an ADA parking space.)

ANSWER: The marked access aisle in the passenger loading zone and curb ramp to the walkway are missing. 2010 ADA Standard 209.4, Valet Parking, states, “Parking facilities that provide valet parking services shall provide at least one passenger loading zone complying with [Standard] 503. Standard 503.3, [Passenger Loading Zone Vehicle Pull Up Space], Access Aisle, states, “Passenger loading zones shall provide access aisles complying with [Standard] 503 adjacent to the vehicle pull-up space. Access aisles shall adjoin an accessible route and shall not overlap the vehicular way.” Standard 503.3.3, Marking, states, “Access aisles shall be marked so as to discourage parking in them.” See the diagram below for a representation of this installation.

So there should be a marked access aisle and there should be a method to join the accessible route (the sidewalk) into the restaurant. Since there is a curb between the vehicle pull-up space and the walkway, there should be a curb ramp. It was very difficult and dangerous for this customer to maneuver from the surface of the pull-up area to the walkway. The photo below is what it should look like when done right.

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If you observe a building that is not ADA compliant and you would like to know how to proceed, please see the link at What To Do When A Building Is Not ADA Compliant or Accessible.

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Thank you.