Please look at the photo on the right. We’ve all seen this devices in restaurants, airports, banks, theatres, libraries, voting locations, etc. They are called crowd control rope barriers because they usually consist of two or more vertical stantions and a retractable strap, or rope, that can be used to connect the stantions to create the barrier to control crowds. When you are thinking about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), what’s wrong? HINT: Think about protruding objects.

One of the most common ADA discrepancies found in commercial or government buildings is referred to as protruding objects. In the 2010 ADA Standard for Accessible Design (2010 ADA Standards) there are very specific guidelines for protruding objects with regard to the circulation paths, or routes, into and through a building.

2010 ADA Standard 307.2, [Protruding Objects] Protrusion Limits, states “Objects with leading edges more than 27 inches (685 mm) and not more than 80 inches (2030 mm) above the finish floor or ground shall protrude 4 inches (100 mm) maximum horizontally into the circulation path.”

2010 ADA Standard 307.3, [Protruding Objects] Post-Mounted Objects, states, “Free-standing objects mounted on posts or pylons shall overhang circulation paths 12 inches (305 mm) maximum when located 27 inches (685 mm) minimum and 80 inches (2030 mm) maximum above the finish floor or ground. Where a sign or other obstruction is mounted between posts or pylons and the clear distance between the posts or pylons is greater than 12 inches (305 mm), the lowest edge of such sign or obstruction shall be 27 inches (685 mm) maximum or 80 inches (2030 mm) minimum above the finish floor or ground.” The diagram below is representative of these Standards.

So the main point in the two Standards above is that most objects protruding more than 4 inches into the circulation path must be detectable within 27 inches above the finished floor. 2010 ADA Standard Advisory 307.2, Protrusion Limits, states, “When a cane is used and the element is in the detectable range, it gives a person sufficient time to detect the element with the cane before there is body contact. Elements located on circulation paths, including operable elements, must comply with requirements for protruding objects.”

In the case of these crowd control rope barriers, these straps are more like 37 inches above the finished floor and some can stretch as much as 10 feet between stantions. In the photo on the right the strap is almost not visible with all the background images and clearly out of the detection zone. Imagine someone with impaired vision navigating through this area with a cane. They would likely not detect the strap until it hits them near the mid-section of their body.

So the ANSWER to the question I ask earlier is these crowd control rope barriers are not ADA compliant because the straps are not detectable below 27 inches. BUT, these installations actually get a pass on the ADA laws because they are not fixed elements. The 1991 ADA Standards and the 2010 ADA Standards apply to fixed or built-in elements of buildings, structures, site improvements, and pedestrian routes or vehicular ways located on a site. Elements that are not fixed do not have to comply. Despite the fact that these relocatable barriers are not fixed, they clearly violate the principles of the ADA laws for protruding objects and pose a hazard to disabled individuals with limited site.

A better and safer crowd control installation is shown on the left. This lower part of the barrier between the stantions is clearly within the 27 inch detection zone. In this case the device is installed more permanently, so the benefit of flexibility in the strapped devices shown above would be lost. But the highest priority has to be safety, especially for disabled individuals.

If you observe a building or crowd control device 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.

ADA Inspections Nationwide, LLC, offers ADA/ABA/FHA accessibility compliance inspections for buildings and facilities, as applicable to the different laws, and expert witness services with respect to ADA/ABA/FHA laws for building owners, tenants and managers. Also, ADAIN offers consulting for home modifications as a CAPS consultant for people wishing to age in place in their homes. For a complete list of services please see ADAIN Services.

Thank you.