The Seattle bus tunnel and light rail stations have heavily-textured strips on the platform edges, and also a patterned strip a few feet back. (Visible here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/stb-wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/16000405/IMG_1646.jpg) The patterned piece can easily be found with a cane, and extends through most of the stations along main walkways. Blind/visually impaired people can easily get disoriented in wide open spaces, so the pathways do a lot to help them not veer into walls or bystanders. It's pretty to look at too - it's a good way to break up the large visual space of the floors. It's one of my favorite pieces of adaptive design.
In Wikipedia it is refered as Tactile paving: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactile_paving
In Eu one of standards that governs (I presume newly created or renovated pavements) this is: CEN/TS 15209:2008 https://ec.europa.eu/eip/ageing/standards/city/age-friendly-urban-environment/cents-152092008_en
To be honest in this day and age when everyone is de facto blind because of all the smartphone browsing while going, I can see that this is a must with or without significant amount of truly visualy impaired.
The Seattle bus tunnel and light rail stations have heavily-textured strips on the platform edges, and also a patterned strip a few feet back. (Visible here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/stb-wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/16000405/IMG_1646.jpg) The patterned piece can easily be found with a cane, and extends through most of the stations along main walkways. Blind/visually impaired people can easily get disoriented in wide open spaces, so the pathways do a lot to help them not veer into walls or bystanders. It's pretty to look at too - it's a good way to break up the large visual space of the floors. It's one of my favorite pieces of adaptive design.
ReplyDeleteIn Wikipedia it is refered as Tactile paving:
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactile_paving
In Eu one of standards that governs (I presume newly created or renovated pavements) this is: CEN/TS 15209:2008 https://ec.europa.eu/eip/ageing/standards/city/age-friendly-urban-environment/cents-152092008_en
Thank you, Aleksejs. I've added your link to the body of the post.
DeleteTo be honest in this day and age when everyone is de facto blind because of all the smartphone browsing while going, I can see that this is a must with or without significant amount of truly visualy impaired.
Deletehttps://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/28/movie-buro-north-ground-level-traffic-lights-prevent-pedestrian-accidents-video/