curb cut

noun

variants or curb ramp

plural curb cuts or curb ramps

1

: a ramp cut into a street curb to provide access (as for wheelchairs or strollers) between a sidewalk and the street

… and only 20 percent of our sidewalks have curb cuts. We are far behind ADA standards.

—Meredith Kurz

The project also calls for the replacement of curb ramps at crosswalks around the parking lot and across from it …

—Adrian Rodriguez

2

: a ramp cut into a street curb to provide vehicular access to a driveway or parking space

Dan Gunsteen … is redeveloping the site for a new car wash. The proposal calls for a … vehicular driveway from Main Street utilizing the existing access location and a new full access from 17th Street. The current curb cuts would be closed.

—Eric Schelkopf

Examples of curb cut in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some $185 million will go toward new features including sidewalk extensions, trees, a BRT line, and curb cuts for those using a wheelchair or stroller. —David Zipper, Vox, 13 Nov. 2024

Like curb cuts, captions help people beyond just those with hearing disabilities. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024

The new design, now at about $381,000, calls for 65% less turf and 2,400-square-feet of sod, the addition of a concrete path for accessibility, and the loss of a curb cut and handicapped parking area. —Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 18 July 2024

Planned road improvements will require new entrance The Wisconsin Department of Transportation currently has plans to improve roads in the area, including closing the existing curb cut into the current site from West Loomis Road. —Adrienne Davis, Journal Sentinel, 11 June 2024

In 2018, members of the Capable ERG approached Beth Elroy, who was then working as director of site facilities at the company’s Boise headquarters, and asked if her team could move the curb cut—a ramp built into a sidewalk primarily intended to help people with mobility aids like wheelchairs. —Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 31 May 2024

Elroy was confused by the request at first because the existing curb cut was ADA-compliant. —Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 31 May 2024

The appropriation will pay for costs associated with the curb cuts to access the site, which the Missouri Department of Transportation wanted in place before approving construction of the roundabouts. —Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024

Accessibility in the real world is more than disabled parking spaces, wheelchair ramps, and curb cuts. —Steven Aquino, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 2