A curb cut (US) or dropped kerb (UK) is a ramp leading smoothly down from a sidewalk to a street, rather than abruptly ending with a curb and dropping roughly 10-15 cm (4~6 inches).

Curb cuts at intersections

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Curb cuts placed at street intersections allow 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 of 1990 (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 such curb cuts in the United States were pioneered in Berkeley, California, in 1970, according to a commemorative plaque there.

Other curb cuts

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A wider curb cut is also useful for motor vehicles to enter a driveway or parking lot on the other side of a sidewalk.

Accessibility | Road transport | Street furniture