# Truncated domes: function and location.............



## JPohling (Aug 3, 2020)

I wish the photo turned out better!  This is the POT from the sidewalk to the front entrance at our little Target store that I walk past every day just shaking my head..  There are 7 instances of where you will encounter detectable warnings on your adventure across the parking lot.  Should only be 2.  This is what happens when people that do not understand how visually impaired people use these warnings.  The first section of domes at the sidewalk edge indicates your in a vehicular way and then a few feet later you hit the next set and for the impaired now believe you are no longer in the vehicular way.  But this is now crossing the drive aisle!  And it repeats its contradiction all the way to the front door. Terrible misuse of detectable warnings.  I see this all the time where they believe more is better.  It is just confusing and potentially dangerous.


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## ADAguy (Aug 3, 2020)

good example of misuse


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## Rick18071 (Aug 3, 2020)

Here is regular ramp being built that goes down and ends in a vehicle way. It looks like the code does not require detectable warnings like a curb ramp does. Is this right?


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## JPohling (Aug 4, 2020)

Rick18071 said:


> Here is regular ramp being built that goes down and ends in a vehicle way. It looks like the code does not require detectable warnings like a curb ramp does. Is this right?


Rick,  no picture to look at but whenever you have a flush curb condition on a POT that crosses a vehicular way detectables are required.  walkway, ramp or curb ramp


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## Rick18071 (Aug 4, 2020)

JPohling said:


> Rick,  no picture to look at but whenever you have a flush curb condition on a POT that crosses a vehicular way detectable's are required.  walkway, ramp or curb ramp



Detectable warnings are not mentioned in ICC/ANSI !117.1 - 2006 section 405 Ramps. There is no curb here. No sidewalk ether.  Bottom of ramp goes directly into driveway from a door landing. Detectable warnings are only mentioned and required in section 406 Curb Ramps. Please explain why would I be even looking in the Curb Ramp section if I do not have a Curb Ramp.


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## ADAguy (Aug 5, 2020)

It is a risk management issue, if provided they must comply but at a minimum they are not required except by local amendment.


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## mark handler (Aug 5, 2020)

ADAguy said:


> It is a risk management issue, if provided they must comply but at a minimum they are not required except by local amendment.


In CA, They are still rewired in some locations.


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## JPohling (Aug 5, 2020)

Rick18071 said:


> Detectable warnings are not mentioned in ICC/ANSI !117.1 - 2006 section 405 Ramps. There is no curb here. No sidewalk ether.  Bottom of ramp goes directly into driveway from a door landing. Detectable warnings are only mentioned and required in section 406 Curb Ramps. Please explain why would I be even looking in the Curb Ramp section if I do not have a Curb Ramp.









If I am understanding correctly you have a ramp or sloping walkway from the door landing that goes directly into drive aisle without a curb.  That would require detectable warnings as it is either a curb ramp or a blended transition leading to a hazardous vehicular area


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## ADAguy (Aug 5, 2020)

That is correct


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## Rick18071 (Aug 5, 2020)

Not in CA. We go by 2015 IBC and ICC/ANSI !117.1 - 2006.


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## Yikes (Aug 5, 2020)

The photo below is a retail parking lot in California that utilized the accessible parking loading/unloading aisles to do double-duty as the accessible POT from the public sidewalk to the front door.  As a result, it has 4 different detectable warning in less than 100'.
This is because each parking lot drive aisle is "vehicular way", and each row of blue-striped ADA parking stall loading spaces is not a vehicular way.
Coming up from the public sidewalk (bottom of photo), warnings #1 and 3 let you know each time you are about to cross a drive aisle.
In the other direction, when exiting the building (top of photo), warnings #4 and 2 tell you when you are about to cross a drive aisle.​
I asked a friend who is 100% blind how he keeps track of whether the warnings are telling him he's entering vs. leaving a vehicle area. He said at his school for the blind they teach that detectable warnings are generally worthless and confusing and should not be relied upon at all.


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## ADAguy (Aug 5, 2020)

Good example of what not to due.


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## steveray (Aug 6, 2020)

You are correct Rick....Hardly ever required by IBC/ANSI....Unless it has been "ramped" up in the later editions..(pun fully intended)

The curb ramp section of ANSI says "where the warnings are provided" not that they need to be....Just "raised marked crossings", which means if they don't mark them, they are good...


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## JPohling (Aug 6, 2020)

Yikes said:


> The photo below is a retail parking lot in California that utilized the accessible parking loading/unloading aisles to do double-duty as the accessible POT from the public sidewalk to the front door.  As a result, it has 4 different detectable warning in less than 100'.
> This is because each parking lot drive aisle is "vehicular way", and each row of blue-striped ADA parking stall loading spaces is not a vehicular way.
> Coming up from the public sidewalk (bottom of photo), warnings #1 and 3 let you know each time you are about to cross a drive aisle.
> In the other direction, when exiting the building (top of photo), warnings #4 and 2 tell you when you are about to cross a drive aisle.​
> ...


locations 2 and 3 should be eliminated.  Don't get me started on diagonal curb ramps!! I have rescued several blind people from the center of intersections after they use the curb ramp for orientation and are now walking diagonally across the intersection!


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