Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

The Stress of Navigating Unwalkable Bus Stops With a Wheelchair

manchester.metrobus03
How is a person who uses a wheelchair supposed to access this bus stop? Photo: Urban Review STL
false

Pedestrian access to transit is important. A recent study by TransitCenter found that people who use transit most often tend to walk to the bus or train. But as our "Sorriest Bus Stop in America" contest highlighted, there are some very serious challenges on this front in American cities.

The problem of lousy walking access to transit is compounded for riders with disabilities. In a recent post, Steve Patterson at Network blog Urban Review STL offers a personal account of the obstacles he faces navigating the bus system in St. Louis using a power wheelchair:

Part of the implied contract when taking a bus to a destination is when you’re dropped off at your stop, you’ll be able to get to the corresponding stop in the opposite direction for the return trip. Seems simple enough, right? But in many parts of the St. Louis region being able to reach a bus stop in the opposite direction is impossible if you’re disabled. I don’t go looking for them, I run across them just going about my life.

Patterson recently took the bus down Manchester Avenue to a shopping center, only to find himself nearly stranded, trying to reach the stop shown in the above photo. Two and a half decades after the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted, these are the conditions for transit riders using wheelchairs in St. Louis:

Thankfully my chair had enough power to roll over the grass. If it had been wet or muddy I couldn't have reached this bus stop. A user of a manual chair probably couldn't have. And finally, why should able-bodied pedestrians have to walk through grass?

When I boarded the bus from this stop the driver asked me how I managed to get to the stop! On the bus I noticed a stop further East that I’ve blogged about before.

I paid attention to all the stops as we passed each one. I decided I needed to look at the entire stretch, not just one stop here or there. Again, the distance between Kingshighway and McCausland is 2.5 miles. There are 12 MetroBus stops in each direction. All 12 in the Westbound direction are accessible -- not ideal but adequate. However, in the Eastbound direction only half are accessible/adequate.

Patterson notes that it's the transportation department and property owners responsible for the areas surrounding bus stops, not the transit agency. Read his full post for a catalogue of all the sorry bus stops he saw along the route.

Elsewhere on the Network today: The Dirt explains how Baton Rouge can rebuild in a way that makes it more resistant to major flooding events. Reno Rambler takes on locals who say the city has nothing to learn from other cities. And Seattle Transit Blog reports that tolls from managed lanes on a local highway are now paying for highway expansions.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Climate Change Is Making Waiting For Transit Worse — And It’s Hurting Ridership

Transit isn't only a key solution to confronting climate change; it's also one of its victims.

March 12, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are About Elon-ed Out

While President Trump tries to pump up Tesla stock prices, Elon Musk wants to privatize Amtrak.

March 12, 2025

How Highways Rend Our Social Fabric — and the Challenge of Mending It

Roads are supposed to connect us. So why do so many highways tear our social networks apart?

March 11, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Walk the Line

Pedestrian deaths were trending slightly downward at the midway point of last year, but the trend over the past decade is still terrifying.

March 11, 2025

Massachusetts Lawmakers Are Still Spending Millions to Subsidize Elon Musk’s Car Company

In the three months between Election Day and February 5th (the last date for which data is currently available), Massachusetts taxpayers have sent $8.6 million in direct payments to buyers at Tesla dealerships.

March 10, 2025
See all posts