Curb cut
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A curb cut (US) or dropped kerb (UK) is a ramp leading smoothly down from a sidewalk to an intersecting street, rather than abruptly ending with a curb and dropping roughly 10-15 cm (4~6 inches).
This feature allows someone in a wheelchair, on a toddler's tricycle etc., to move onto or off of a sidewalk without difficulty. A pedestrian using a walker or cane, pushing a stroller or buggy, pushing or pulling a cart or walking next to a bicycle also benefits from a curb cut.
It can also be used by someone on a bicycle, roller skates, skateboard, etc. For the safety and comfort of pedestrians this may be a disadvantage.
In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that curb cuts be present on sidewalks. Supporters of the ADA often point to curb cuts as an outcome of the ADA that benefits every user of public resources, even though the law is meant to protect the rights of people with disabilities.
The first curb cuts in the United States were pioneered in Berkeley, California, in 1970, according to a commemorative plaque there.