Curb cut

A small ramp built into the curb of a sidewalk at intersections and pedestrian crossings, providing a smooth transition between the sidewalk and the street. Originally mandated for wheelchair users under disability rights legislation such as the ADA, curb cuts have become a widely cited example of the "curb cut effect" — the phenomenon where accessibility features designed for people with disabilities end up benefiting a much broader population, including people pushing strollers, pulling luggage, riding bicycles, and using delivery carts. In urban accessibility research, missing or damaged curb ramps remain one of the most commonly identified pedestrian barriers, and AI-powered tools using street-level imagery can now detect their presence or absence at city scale.