Data on sidewalks have long been deficient. But advances in remote sensing are beginning to increase data prevalence and accuracy. These sidewalk datasets rarely, if ever, account for static obstructions in the sidewalk such as signs, street furniture, or trees. This paper seeks to determine how much of a difference accounting for static obstructions will make when measuring the clear width of sidewalks. We extracted the minimum width of sidewalk surfaces—both with and without accounting for static obstructions—for the entirety of Cambridge, MA, using new GIS methods described in this paper. We then compared these results against Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards for clear width as well as national and federal sidewalk guidelines. The results suggest a significant decrease in the average clear width of sidewalks when accounting for static obstructions. More specifically, the clear width of the average sidewalk drops from 4.5 ft (1.4 m) to 3.5 ft (1.1 m). The percentage of sidewalk segments meeting the 3-ft ADA standard drops from 78% to 51% when accounting for static obstructions. For the proposed 4-ft (1.2-m) ADA standard, it plunges from 59% of sidewalk segments meeting the width threshold to 31%. These results demonstrate that not accounting for static obstructions could lead to a gross overestimation of seemingly adequate sidewalks and an unrealistic assessment of sidewalk infrastructure and pedestrian accessibility.

人行道上的数据长期以来一直缺乏。但是，遥感技术的进步开始增加数据的普及率和准确性。这些人行道数据集很少（如果有的话）说明人行道上的静态障碍物，例如路标，街道家具或树木。本文力求确定在测量人行道的净宽时，静态障碍物会造成多少差异。我们使用本文介绍的新GIS方法提取了整个马萨诸塞州剑桥市的人行道表面的最小宽度（无论是否考虑了静态障碍）。然后，我们将这些结果与美国残疾人法（ADA）标准的净宽以及国家和联邦人行道指南进行了比较。结果表明，考虑到静态障碍物后，人行道的平均净宽度明显减小。更具体地说，平均人行道的净宽度从4.5英尺（1.4 m）下降到3.5英尺（1.1 m）。考虑到静态障碍物，达到3英尺ADA标准的人行道路段的百分比从78％降至51％。对于拟议的4英尺（1.2米）ADA标准，它从满足宽度阈值的人行道路段的59％下降到31％。这些结果表明，不考虑静态障碍物可能会导致过高的看似足够的人行道，以及对人行道基础设施和行人通行性的不切实际评估。考虑到静态障碍物，达到3英尺ADA标准的人行道路段的百分比从78％降至51％。对于拟议的4英尺（1.2米）ADA标准，它从满足宽度阈值的人行道路段的59％下降到31％。这些结果表明，不考虑静态障碍物可能会导致过高估计似乎足够的人行道，并对人行道的基础设施和行人通行性进行不切实际的评估。考虑到静态障碍物，达到3英尺ADA标准的人行道路段的百分比从78％降至51％。对于拟议的4英尺（1.2米）ADA标准，它从满足宽度阈值的人行道路段的59％下降到31％。这些结果表明，不考虑静态障碍物可能会导致过高估计似乎足够的人行道，并对人行道的基础设施和行人通行性进行不切实际的评估。