Just What Exactly Is "Cross Slope?"

photo: Jacqueline O'Sullivan (click on picture for larger view)

Posted by John B. Kelly

Cross slope is just another way of referring to how "tilted" a sidewalk is. It is like walking on the side of a hill, where your inside foot or wheelchair wheel is higher than the outside one.

Here is a good example, from Westland Avenue near Cappy's Pizza, which is in a very new building at the corner of Hemenway Street.

The cross slope on this sidewalk is 4%, which is very steep for any wheelchair or walker user, and probably affects a lot of other people.

Wheelchair users just end up heading for the curb, over and over again. It is exhausting, scary, and dangerous -- especially when the sidewalk is icy. Nothing like sliding to your doom and not being able to do anything about it.

That's why all new construction demands 2% or less crossslopes.

It seems that the city of Boston didn't bother to inspect the constructed sidewalk, which is now its responsibility. I filed a complaint against this cross slope on Monday.