This appendix contains materials of an advisory nature and provides additional information that should help the reader to understand the minimum requirements of the guidelines or to design buildings or facilities for greater accessibility. The paragraph numbers correspond to the sections or paragraphs of the guideline to which the material relates and are therefore not consecutive (for example, A4.2.1 contains additional information relevant to 4.2.1). Sections of the guidelines for which additional material appears in this appendix have been indicated by an asterisk. Nothing in this appendix shall in any way obviate any obligation to comply with the requirements of the guidelines itself.
Unless otherwise modified in Section 4 or specifically addressed in section 15, all other ADAAG provisions apply for the design and construction of recreation facilities and elements. The provisions in this section apply wherever these elements are provided. For example, office buildings may contain a room with exercise equipment and these sections therefore apply.
A15.2 Boating Facilities.
A15.2.2 Accessible Route. The following two examples apply exceptions two and three.
Example 1. Boat slips which are required to be accessible are provided at a floating pier. The vertical distance an accessible route must travel to the pier when the water is at its lowest level is six feet, although the water level only fluctuates three feet. To comply with exceptions 2 and 3, at least one design solution would provide a gangway at least 72.25 feet long which ensures the slope does not exceed 1:12.
Example 2. A gangway is provided to a floating pier which is required to be on an accessible route. The vertical distance is 10 feet between the elevation where the gangway departs the landside connection and the elevation of the pier surface at the lowest water level. Exceptions 2 and 3, which modify 4.8.2, permit the gangway to be at least 80 feet long. Another design solution would be to have two 40-foot plus continuous gangways joined together at a float, where the float (as the water level falls) will stop dropping at an elevation five feet below the landside connection.
A15.2.3 Boat Slips: Minimum Number. Accessible boat slips are not "reserved" for persons with disabilities in the same manner as accessible vehicle parking spaces. Rather, accessible boat slip use is comparable to accessible hotel rooms. The Department of Justice is responsible for addressing operational issues relating to the use of accessible facilities and elements. The Department of Justice currently advises that hotels should hold accessible rooms for persons with disabilities until all other rooms are filled. At that point, accessible rooms can be open for general use on a first come, first serve basis.
The following two examples apply to a boating facility with a single non-demarcated pier.
Example 1. A site contains a new boating facility which consists of a single 60-foot pier. Boats are only moored parallel with the pier on both sides to allow occupants to embark or disembark. Since the number of slips cannot be identified, section 15.2.3 requires each 40 feet of boat slip edge to be counted as one slip for purposes of determining the number of slips available and determines the number required to be accessible. The 120 feet of boat slip edge at the pier would equate with 3 boat slips. Table 15.2.3 would require 1 slip to be accessible and comply with 15.2.5. Section 15.2.5 (excluding the exceptions within the section) requires a clear pier space 60 inches wide minimum extending the length of the slip. In this example, because the pier is at least 40 feet long, the accessible slip must contain a clear pier space at least 40 feet long which has a minimum width of 60 inches.
Example 2. A new boating facility consisting of a single pier 25 feet long and 3 feet wide is being planned for a site. The design intends to allow boats to moor and occupants to embark and disembark on both sides, and at one end. As the number of boat slips cannot be identified, applying section 15.2.3 would translate to 53 feet of boat slip edge at the pier. This equates with two slips. Table 15.2.3 would require 1 slip to be accessible. To comply with 15.2.5 (excluding the exceptions within the section), the width of the pier must be increased to 60 inches. Neither 15.2.3 or 15.2.5 requires the pier length to be increased to 40 feet.
A15.2.3.1 Dispersion. Types of boat slips are based on the size of the boat slips; whether single berths or double berths, shallow water or deep water, transient or longer-term lease, covered or uncovered; and whether slips are equipped with features such as telephone, water, electricity and cable connections. The term "boat slip" is intended to cover any pier area where recreational boats embark or disembark, unless classified as a launch ramp boarding pier. For example, a fuel pier may contain boat slips, and this type of short term slip would be included in determining compliance with 15.2.3.1.
A15.2.4 Boarding Piers at Boat Launch Ramps. The following two examples apply to a boat launch ramp boarding pier.
Example 1. A chain of floats is provided on a launch ramp to be used as a boarding pier which is required to be accessible by 15.2.4. At high water, the entire chain is floating and a transition plate connects the first float to the surface of the launch ramp. As the water level decreases, segments of the chain end up resting on the launch ramp surface, matching the slope of the launch ramp. As water levels drop, segments function also as gangways because one end of a segment is resting on the launch ramp surface and the other end is connecting to another floating segment in the chain.
Under ADAAG 4.1.2(2), an accessible route must serve the last float because it would function as the boarding pier at the lowest water level. Under exception 3 in 15.2.4, each float is not required to comply with ADAAG 4.8, but must meet all other requirements in ADAAG 4.3, unless exempted by exception 1 in 15.2.4. In this example, because the entire chain also functions as a boarding pier, the entire chain must comply with the requirements of 15.2.5, including the 60-inch minimum clear pier width provision.
Example 2. A non-floating boarding pier supported by piles divides a launching area into two launch ramps and is required to be accessible. Under ADAAG 4.1.2(2), an accessible route must connect the boarding pier with other accessible buildings, facilities, elements, and spaces on the site. Although the boarding pier is located within a launch ramp, because the pier is not a floating pier or a skid pier, none of the exceptions in 15.2.4 apply. To comply with ADAAG 4.3, either the accessible route must run down the launch ramp or the fixed boarding pier could be relocated to the side of the two launch ramps. The second option leaves the slope of the launch ramps unchanged, because the accessible route runs outside the launch ramps.
A15.2.4.1 Boarding Pier Clearances. The guidelines do not establish a minimum length for accessible boarding piers at boat launch ramps. The accessible boarding pier would have a length which is at least equal to other boarding piers provided at the facility. If no other boarding pier is provided, the pier would have a length equal to what would have been provided if no access requirements applied. The entire length of accessible boarding piers would be required to comply with the same technical provisions that apply to accessible boat slips. For example, at a launch ramp, if a 20-foot long accessible boarding pier is provided, the entire 20 feet must comply with the pier clearance requirements in 15.2.5. Likewise, if a 60-foot long accessible boarding pier is provided, the pier clearance requirements in 15.2.5 would apply to the entire 60 feet.
A15.2.5 Accessible Boat Slips. Although the minimum width of the clear pier space is 60 inches, it is recommended that piers be wider than 60 inches to improve the safety for persons with disabilities, particularly on floating piers.
A15.2.5.1 Clearances, Exception 3. Where the conditions in exception 3 are satisfied, existing facilities are only required to have one accessible boat slip with a pier clearance which runs the length of the slip. All other accessible slips are allowed to have the required pier clearance at the head of the slip. Under this exception, at piers with perpendicular boat slips, the width of most "finger piers" will remain unchanged. However, where mooring systems for floating piers are replaced as part of pier alteration projects, an opportunity may exist for increasing accessibility. Piers may be reconfigured to allow an increase in the number of wider finger piers, and serve as accessible boat slips.