Geometry: Ramp both "long" and "steep"?

derekleffew

Resident Curmudgeon
Senior Team
Premium Member
Did West Point's ramp violate the 1:12 "rule"? I'm guessing the stage was 36-48" above grade.

"The ramp that I descended after my West Point Commencement speech was very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery. The last thing I was going to do is 'fall' for the Fake News to have fun with. Final ten feet I ran down to level ground. Momentum!"

Couldn't they have put in an escalator? He loves escalators.
 
Assuming the railing panels are 8' long and the stage is 4' elevation (which seems like a good guess given DJT claims to be 6'3") then the ramp is 1:6. It might be 1:8 if the panels are 10'. It doesn't meet ADA's 1:12.
 
Just for fun, I did a screen capture and measured it in AutoCAD. Around 1:5.2 with no handrail, very far from ADA, and what aisles could be in US up to 50 or so years ago, when it went to 1:8. Did Fox pick up on it? Not surprised CNN didn't. I basically don't watch news beyond space shots (and the pandemic this year.)

1592251362247.png
 
Remember, Adderall adds 3° to any incline.
 
Of course the far left wingers couldn't help but interject politics into this.
What's political about Drug addiction?

He also noted that he "...Ran the last 10'... " I think there are multiple issues that we may not be on.
 
I suspect "running the last 10" was because at that point there was enough forward momentum that trying to slow or stop would have meant pitching face-forward... In spite of my deep dislike for this presidency, I don't wish that on him.
 
The ramp likely isn't ADA compliant, its also on a military base and there is a different set of rules at play. That said most people above 65 in age would likely have issues with that ramp. Especially in dress shoes. Also I don't think stating the president's use of ADHD medicine counts as "Left wing spew". Its a pretty well known fact at this point and disputing it seems more akin to banging your head against a wall, but I digress.

Other than a discussion point what purpose does bringing up the ramp come in to play? I doubt the administration that's known for rolling back guidelines and reducing oversight would care to inspect for compliance. If we look historically most of the "ramps" that have been used by presidents are likely NON compliant.
 
Speaking of historical ramps. I saw a Biden advert that shows Obama almost running up a very similar ramp. It also shows Biden and Obama running in various parts of the white house, and then drinking water. I suspect some clever video work to make it so obvious.

The ADA rule is to allow almost anyone ambulatory to use the ramp. I think the real point is not the ramp, but the change over 3 years as an indicator of the next 5 years.
 
The ramp doesn't seem like a big deal. Needing to use a 2nd hand to complete raising a glass of water to his mouth is a little weird, but honestly the palace intrigue makes for easy distractions from the far more important things the current administration could be criticized for. Tomorrow our Coronavirus numbers will reach the equivalent death toll of 40 9/11's and I hear a lot of people talking about it like this pandemic is in the past tense. Record unemployment and new cases are starting to spike like Elon Musk put the line graph in a Tesla and launched it into space. Protesters have been in the streets for 2 weeks now and there are hundreds upon hundreds of fresh examples of police brutality caught on video that are largely being ignored. Barely made headlines that the guys who targeted police officers for murder in Oakland weren't protesters but were Boogaloo Boys attempting to start a new civil war -- which if we had a domestic terrorism law on the books seems like the kind of thing it might be appropriate for. $650 Bn in PPP loans without any oversight and refusal to disclose who received what money. State by state absentee voting is continually overwhelming states' capacities for primary elections -- indicating we are woefully unprepared to hold a free and fair nationwide presidential election this fall. No matter what side of the aisle you are on, I think we can all agree that we don't need any more uncertainty or questions of legitimacy injected into our electoral system.

Taking pot shots that Trump might have dementia or be in poor health just feels like shooting spitballs at an arsonist to stop them from burning down the building. We desperately need competent leadership right now and instead we're stuck in a Greek tragedy that at the heart of it is really about the main character's relationship with his father.

On a related note to some of the heartburn in this thread -- feels like we became more entrenched and divided when we stopped discussing politics in the open. Saving it for talk radio, Facebook memes, and Thanksgiving has gotten people stuck in feedback loops where they hear what they want to hear because they only discuss with people who agree with them. In turn, people aren't developing an appropriate immunity to lies/misinformation/unreliable sources/fallacies and the basic skills for respectful disagreements, allowing people to spiral away from a more balanced view of the world. Seems very interesting to me that most other social issues are on the table and fair game for theaters to address -- gay rights, racial inequality, income inequality, sexual development, family issues, religion, AIDS, bullying -- but the actual topic of directly participating in a democracy itself with everyone around you seems to be a theme no body wants to listen to. Part of the reason that it's been easy to underestimate the scale of problems that Black and Brown communities face is because it's only when a boiling point is reached that those subjects become part of our daily conversations. We need to be better about becoming aware of issues and confronting them before they boil over. ("we" as a population, not just CB or the theater community)

All forms of design are inherently political. Theater is no exception. It behooves us to not shy away from a meaningful debate because we simply don't want to engage with someone who doesn't agree with us. Similarly, it's important we not throw Molotovs at one another for superficial reasons just because it may momentarily make us feel better. (Also why I consider political memes to be the lowest form of rhetoric -- yet campaigns are hiring people specifically to doctor them up in Photoshop.)
 
Ugh there really is nowhere to go to get away from politics is there? And I used to quite enjoy politics, especially a decent debate. But there is no longer any reprieve. Pick a topic, it’s somehow political.

I can’t help but feel we’re in for a fairly major societal course correction.
 
Ugh there really is nowhere to go to get away from politics is there? And I used to quite enjoy politics, especially a decent debate. But there is no longer any reprieve. Pick a topic, it’s somehow political.

I can’t help but feel we’re in for a fairly major societal course correction.
Not to derail the ramp geometry thread even more... but... (you saw this coming, right?) as for a major societal course correction - unless the current ones are somehow different from the previous ones, there will be much speaking and righteous protestation, a great deal of feigned indignation, some laws passed, perhaps even the rending of garments, gnashing of teeth and clutching of pearls! ... and 20 years (or fewer) later, we'll find that little has changed because genuine change (whatever form it takes) is generally seen as a threat by whatever persons or groups currently hold power, assets, or political favor. And those in power are generally fearful of a future in which their role goes from "leader" to "unknown."
 
Yeah, I heard the jokes about the ramp but the first time I saw the video, my reaction was there's no way that ramp is anywhere near code. It looks to be close to double the appropriate 1:12 slope to my eyes. Bill's screen capture geometry makes sense. It would be difficult for any older person (and a lot of younger ones too) to walk it without a hand rail.
 
How about this theory. West Point is the home of the United States Military Academy, a federal military entity. ADA does not apply to the military, so their ramp did not have to comply with ADA law.
 
I just want to go back to work lol bleeping hell.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nic

Users who are viewing this thread

Back