A survey conducted by the Manhattan borough president's office shows the city has not done enough to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act when it comes to curb cuts on street corners. NY1's Michael Herzenberg filed the following report.
Monica Bartley has been wheelchair-bound for most of her life. Childhood polio put her there, but she says it's the city streets that steal her mobility and independence.
"It robs you of your self-esteem when you have to depend on other people to do things that you could easily do for yourself if that barrier were removed," Monica Bartley said.
Specifically, she's talking about intersections where there are no curb cuts, forcing her to turn around.
"I don't even attempt it," she said.
An estimated 600,000 New Yorkers need curb cuts because they're in wheelchairs, use walkers or are blind.
"The poor condition of Manhattan's curb cuts are a concern and even a danger," said Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.
The Manhattan borough president's office surveyed every intersection on Broadway, from the Battery to the tip of northern Manhattan. It found that fewer than 1 in 10 comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires a curb cut wherever a sidewalk meets an intersection.
The survey found that 10 percent have no curb cuts, that 28 percent of the cuts are too steep and that 59 percent are uneven where the cut meets the street. The survey also found that nearly 1 in 5 curbs are blocked by street furniture like newspaper racks.
"It's harder to make all the subways accessible. It's harder to make all the taxis accessible. This is an easy fix, and it should be done," Brewer said.
Brewer said the city should better monitor the condition of curb cuts, make improvements and bill the owner of corner buildings because the law makes it their responsibility.
The city has installed nearly 100,000 curb cuts since 2004, but Bartley says it's not enough.