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The ‘wherever’ ease of dockless bikes places obstacles in path of disabled

As a former cyclist and, because of a degenerative chronic illness, as someone who will use a mobility device in the future, I found a key issue missing in the framing of the article “Bike services run up against the borders’’ (Page A1, May 17). Yes, it is unfortunate that the Blue Bikes docking network doesn’t serve more communities. Unfortunately, dockless bikes, such as Ant Bike, present their own challenges with regard to user behavior.

Although the dockless bikes have been on the streets for only a few months, there have already been accounts of the bikes parked in ways that block ramps and other Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant access points for wheelchair users and other individuals with restricted mobility.

Personal bikes are usually confined to bike racks or locked to objects out of the way of pedestrian paths. Docking stations are located well out of the way of pedestrian paths and do not impede access to public buildings. The “park anywhere’’ convenience of dockless bikes makes leaving them “wherever’’ incredibly easy — including leaving them in the middle of a sidewalk or doorway.

For those of us with disabilities that force us to pay attention to every step or to rely on assistive devices, this has the unintended consequence of creating new, unnecessary obstacles in spaces that are otherwise accessible.

Joy Mosenfelder

Boston