Accessibility should always be a key consideration in commercial building design, and today, it’s more important than ever. Ensuring your building is as accessible as possible isn’t just about meeting regulations—it’s about creating a welcoming, inclusive space for customers and employees. Upgrading to new pedestrian doors eliminates potential barriers, improving convenience, safety, and overall user experience.

High-quality pedestrian doors play a big part in improving the accessibility of your commercial building. In this blog, we’ll explore why accessibility matters and how you can use pedestrian doors to improve the accessibility of your facility.

Why Accessibility Matters in Commercial Spaces

Accessibility isn’t just about compliance—it’s about creating an inclusive environment where everyone can move freely and safely. In commercial spaces like retail stores, office buildings, and warehouses, barriers such as narrow entryways or heavy doors can make navigation difficult for individuals using mobility aids.

By improving accessibility in your facility, you enhance convenience, safety, and inclusivity for all visitors and employees. Everyone deserves equal access to public spaces, and investing in accessible entry solutions isn’t just the right thing to do—it also makes your building more accessible to everyone, including customers, employees, and visitors.

Pedestrian Doors Help You Meet Canada’s Accessibility Standards

The Accessible Canada Act is a bill that outlines Canada’s accessibility standards. Those standards apply to federally-regulated buildings but can be a great guideline for any business to remove barriers and be more accessible. Installing more access-friendly pedestrian doors is a great way to help you meet these standards.

Pedestrian Doors that Solve Accessibility Challenges

Modern pedestrian doors from Creative Door Services™ are a key part of improving accessibility in any commercial building because they offer safety, security, and accessibility. High-quality doors allow you to accommodate and welcome clients, suppliers, employees, and customers who rely on mobility scooters, wheelchairs, and other mobility aids to get around. 

Improve Foot Traffic

Ensuring your pedestrian doors meet accessibility standards helps create a more welcoming and inclusive retail space for all customers. People with mobility challenges, including seniors and individuals with disabilities, may avoid businesses with doors that are difficult to navigate. By installing accessible pedestrian doors, you not only improve convenience and compliance but also encourage more foot traffic—ultimately boosting customer satisfaction and potential revenue.

What Are Requirements for a Pedestrian Door?

To easily welcome mobility aid users, delivery dollies, and parents with strollers alike, your pedestrian door should boast the following features: 

• An opening size of at least 35 inches and no more than 48 inches
• Sufficient level space on both sides of the door to be able to operate a wheelchair
• Door handles that are easy to operate and don’t require fine finger control, tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. 

Automatic Doors Are a Big Part of Accessibility in Commercial Buildings

For a business to be truly accessible, automatic doors are essential. They provide hands-free operation, making entry effortless for everyone, including individuals with mobility challenges. By eliminating physical barriers, automatic doors enhance accessibility and improve the overall user experience.

Optimizing Automatic Doors for Accessibility

Although automatic doors offer hands-free convenience, they must be properly configured to be truly accessible and safe. Key factors to consider include:

• Opening and Closing Speed – Adjusting the speed ensures smooth operation, prevents unnecessary wear and tear, and enhances safety. Doors that open too quickly can pose risks, while those that close too fast may create obstacles for individuals with mobility challenges.
• Hold-Open Time – The door should remain open long enough for all users to pass through comfortably. A general guideline is at least five seconds, but adjustments should be made based on foot traffic and user needs.
• Closing Force – Setting the correct closing force is critical for safety and durability. A properly calibrated closing force prevents injuries, ensures compliance with accessibility regulations, and helps extend the door’s lifespan by reducing strain on its components.

Power-Assisted Doors Are an Alternative to Automatic Doors

If automatic doors are not the ideal choice for your business, power-assisted doors provide similar levels of accessibility. Rather than opening automatically when they sense an approach, they open when a button is pressed. Whether someone has their hands full or needs their hands to operate their mobility aid, this pedestrian door makes your building more accessible.

Power-Assisted Door Requirements

For a power-assisted door to ensure optimal accessibility, it should meet the following key requirements:

• The controls must be along the route of travel.
• The controls must be clearly visible before reaching the door.
• The controls must be adjacent to a clear space that’s at least 51 inches by 31 inches. 

A power-assisted door is a smart choice for any business looking to upgrade its pedestrian doors for accessibility. 

Upgrade Your Pedestrian Doors for Better Accessibility

Creative Door Services™ can enhance your building’s accessibility by upgrading your pedestrian doors to modern, high-performance models. If your current door is outdated or showing signs of wear, we’ll help you transition to a new, technologically advanced solution that offers smoother operation, improved efficiency, and greater durability.

Planned Maintenance Keeps Your Accessibility High

Pedestrian doors experience constant use, which naturally leads to wear and tear over time. If left unaddressed, this can result in malfunctions that reduce your building’s accessibility. Common issues that can impact pedestrian doors include:

• Sensor failures – Automatic doors may not open or close properly if sensors stop functioning.
• Wiring issues – Power-assisted and automatic doors rely on electrical components that can degrade or break.
• Mechanical wear – Doors and hardware can become stuck, misaligned, or difficult to operate due to prolonged use.

Regular maintenance and timely repairs help keep your pedestrian doors operating smoothly, ensuring reliable accessibility for everyone.

A planned maintenance program from Creative Door Services™ can easily take care of minor issues before they turn into big problems that could affect your building’s accessibility. Our knowledgeable team has more than five decades of experience keeping pedestrian doors in top shape. An experienced maintenance technician will conduct the following tasks:

• Inspecting the frame to ensure it’s square and level
• Checking the weatherstripping for cracking or brittleness
• Inspecting the hardware for looseness, rust, or damage (door operator, push plates, sensors, transmitters, receivers, and access control systems)
• Lubricating all moving parts
• Cleaning the door

Our maintenance team is on your side, helping you improve your accessibility one door at a time. 

Creative Door Services™ Offers Pedestrian Doors That Can Boost Your Accessibility

At Creative Door Services™, we understand the importance of making your commercial building accessible for all customers and employees. That’s why we offer a range of high-quality pedestrian door solutions from industry-leading brands. Our team of experts can upgrade and replace your existing doors with new automatic and power-assisted doors that meet accessibility standards.

For more information on pedestrian doors, including installation and repairs, please contact us today. With locations across Western Canada, you can find us in Kelowna, British Columbia; Vancouver, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta; Fort McMurray, Alberta; Regina, Saskatchewan; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; and Winnipeg, Manitoba. We look forward to working with you.