17 January 2017

Modifying public streets to assist the visually impaired


Read more about tactile paving (hat tip to reader Aleksejs).

Via Neatorama.

4 comments:

  1. 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.

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  2. 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

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Aleksejs. I've added your link to the body of the post.

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    2. 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.

      https://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/28/movie-buro-north-ground-level-traffic-lights-prevent-pedestrian-accidents-video/

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