In particular, this involves facilitating the movement of people in wheelchairs and too often confronted with obstacles such as staircases, sidewalks, door thresholds, etc. that this concerns the interior of the establishment or exterior surroundings.
Person in wheelchair accessibility
There are different ranges of PRM (Person with Reduced Mobility) access ramps that can be set up regardless of the location and the obstacle to be overcome.
What is a PRM access ramp?
An access ramp for disabled people is a passage solution for people in wheelchairs who cannot cross door thresholds, stairs or even sidewalks, in particular to access a business, a public building, a service establishment. To remedy this constraint, the ERP can set up access ramps taking into account certain rules and standards for length, width, percentage of slope.
Fixed and permanent wheelchair ramps
This is the preferred solution but sometimes difficult to set up for technical, economic or incompatible reasons with the type of building listed building for example. A permanent inclined ramp is integrated inside public establishments but it can also be fitted on the exterior path to access the entrance.They allow independent access, at any time of the day, and do not require any outside help. The fixed ramp must be accessible without effort for the disabled person.Fixed handicap ramps (concrete construction or modular ramps) must comply with a certain number of criteria and rules:
· A slope of 5% maximum for any access,
· Rest landings at the top and bottom of the inclined plane with a minimum length of 1.40 meters, every 10 meters,
· Jumps greater than 2 cm are prohibited at the top and bottom of the ramps,
· A guardrail is compulsory if the height difference is greater than 40 cm.
· Drawing with slope plus wheelchair
What are the regulations for inclined and permanent ramps to lay?
These ramps are permanently installed to guarantee access to the ERP for disabled people. It can be an inclined plane for crossing a step or a ramp with a rest landing or a platform between two ramps for crossing stairs. Depending on the inclination, guardrails are necessary.Fixed ramps placed on the sidewalk or near businesses must also meet several points:
· Support a minimum weight of 300 kg,
· Be non-slip,
· Be wide enough to accommodate a person in a wheelchair,
· Allow maneuvers on the sidewalk to access it,
· Allow the necessary maneuvers to open the front door,
· Have wheel plows,
· Have a guardrail in the event of a significant drop,
· Not have side voids,
· Be contrasted to be visible to all (helps prevent collisions for visually impaired or distracted people),
· Avoid transparent materials (such as glass).
Note: This type of permanent ramp requires a request for occupation of the road (authorization to occupy the public domain with a fixed footprint) or a parking permit (authorization to occupy the public domain without a fixed footprint). .
What are the standards for removable or foldable disabled ramps?
When the installation of a fixed access ramp is impossible, there are alternatives.
Removable ramps, folding ramps, telescopic ramps: These ramps are put in place on demand and then removed once they are no longer needed. They do not therefore remain in place permanently, and are only used when a person in a wheelchair is present.Before the decree of January 2015, removable ramps were subject to exemption.
The length of the adequate ramp is determined by the height of the obstacle to be overcome, and the type of wheelchair used. Always choose the longest ramp possible by rounding to the upper ramp length.
The threshold ramps can be single or double. A single threshold ramp makes it possible to close the door, or the window to be crossed without having to be moved, unlike the double threshold ramp which is in one piece, and makes it possible to cross an obstacle.
