Transition Ramps

A transition ramp bridges a small change in level: a raised door threshold, a sliding door track, a single low step, or the lip where one floor surface meets another.

Small obstacles stop wheelchairs

People are often surprised how little it takes. A one inch lip is enough to stop a wheelchair castor dead, and the smaller the castor the worse it is.

The chair halts while the person keeps moving forward, which at best means a jolt and at worst a tip. Coming the other way, dropping off a lip gives a jarring bump at the moment the chair has most momentum.

Walker wheels and scooter castors behave the same way, and someone walking with a stick catches a toe on exactly the same edge.

Measure the rise

Transition ramps are sold by the height they bridge. Measure from the lower surface to the top of the lip or threshold.

Anything up to about 6 inches is transition ramp territory. Above that you are looking at a portable folding ramp or, for a real step, a longer ramp entirely.

Rubber or aluminium

Rubber mats are heavy enough to stay put without fixing, grip well when wet, and are quiet under wheels. They suit interior doorways and patio thresholds, and they do not damage floors.

Aluminium ramps are lighter, can be made in larger sizes, and are easier to move and store. They suit outdoor use and situations where the ramp is taken up regularly.

Where they are most useful

Patio and balcony doors, which almost always have a raised track. Front door thresholds. Between rooms where flooring changes. And at the bottom of a longer ramp, where it meets the ground.

Ask us

Tell us the height of the obstacle, where it is, and what is crossing it. If your rise turns out to be more than a threshold ramp handles, we will point you at the right length of ramp instead.