Steps & Ramps : General Guidance
General Guidance | Steps | Steps Key Design Principles | Ramps | Ramps Key Design Principles | Handrails | Design to Accommodate Cyclists, Pushchairs etc. | Design List | Evaluation Summary
This guidance provides a summary of the key design requirements for steps and
ramps to meet the access needs of people with and without disabilities. Further
details and reference information can be found in Footpaths: A Practical Handbook
(BTCV, 1996), Informal Countryside Recreation for Disabled People: A Practical
Guide for Countryside Managers (Countryside Commission, 1994), BT Countryside
for All: Standards and Guidelines - A Good Practice Guide (BT Community Partnership & Fieldfare
Trust, undated), Lowland Path Construction - A Guide to Good Practice (SNH et
al., 2001) and Upland Pathwork (Footpath Trust, 1999). Steps should be designed
to provide convenient, easy and safe access for able-bodied people and (where
appropriate and practical) disabled people. Ramps provide access for a wide
range of users, including cyclists, people with prams and wheelchair users.
However, many visitors to the countryside, including some ambulant disabled
people, find steps easier and safer to use. Therefore, although access opportunities
can be optimised by the installation of both steps and ramps, land managers
will need to consider the specific circumstances prevailing at each site in
deciding upon the most appropriate type and level of provision.