Probably not on the crosswalk!

Crossing Concord Ave on wheels is sort of like falling off the edge of the earth.

Here’s this nice path leading through the woods from Fresh Pond – and here’s this nice path coming in from Neville Manor, the assisted living facility -- so wheelchairs and bikes can coast smoothly out to Concord Ave… and then… KLUNK… I always think I’m going to lose my teeth when I come to the crosswalk.

There’s a crosswalk… there’s even a sign for traffic to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk… but there is no Ramp to get across the crosswalk. So all those nice paths are sort of like bridges to nowhere since wheelchairs and bikes glide easily to the street, but they can’t cross it without a significant teeth-jarring jolt off a six inch curb.

Coming the other way, they can cross the street, but get stuck in the crosswalk on the other side. This is not only inconvenient, but DANGEROUS as this means bikers and wheelchairs must linger on this busy street in the face of oncoming traffic .

Bikers can get OFF and lift the bike onto or off the curb -- a nuisance, but do-able. But for wheelchairs, getting out of street traffic onto the curb can be impossible!

Last fall I emailed a request for a ramp to the Department of Public Works. Last week I spoke with a live person who seemed responsive and left a message for Bill Dwyer, the Superintendent of Streets. So keep an eye out and perhaps DPW will give us a ramp and I can keep my teeth where they belong. For more information contact the DPW at (617) 349-4851 or email Superintendent Dwyer at wdwyer@cambridgema.gov.