Visually Impaired Pedestrians' Usage of Tactile Pavement as a Navigation and Hazard Avoidance Cue: A UK Perspective

The aim of this paper is to understand how visually impaired people use tactile pavement and to define tactile pavement's relationship with other mobility and navigation systems. It is an investigation and comparison of the opinions and awareness of people with visual impairments, tactile paving manufacturers, streetscape designers and town planners. Furthermore the research questions the extent to which the United Kingdom (UK) Department for Transport's "Guidance on the Use of Tactile Paving Surfaces" has been adopted. Is this guidance being disseminated and followed adequately? The chosen research method is qualitative individual interviews. Recordings of the interviews are transcribed and an analysis of the transcripts informs of the findings of the study. Observation and street walk audit techniques are also used; these are documented by photography, sound recording and film. The research findings will provide insight into how tactile pavement is used as a navigation and hazard avoidance system and the issues associated with its design and installation. Greater user awareness can influence the principles and practice of future tactile pavement design, thus improving the accessibility of the urban environment and enabling visually impaired people to travel on foot with greater independence.

• Corporate Authors:

  Japan Society of Civil Engineers

  1-chome, Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku
  Tokyo,   Japan  160-0004
• Authors:
  • Wisdom, Stella
• Conference:
  • 10th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled People
  • Location: Hamamatsu , Japan
  • Date: 2004-5-23 to 2004-5-26
• Publication Date: 2004

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Features: Photos; References;
• Pagination: 8p
• Monograph Title: Transed 2004. Universal Transportation and Road Design: Strategies for Success

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Blind persons; Blindness; Mobility; Navigation systems; Pavement design; Pedestrian movement; Pedestrian traffic; Streetscape; Visually impaired persons; Walking
• Identifier Terms: Transed
• Uncontrolled Terms: Tactile warning devices
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• Subject Areas: History; Pavements; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Society; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01131270
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 25 2009 3:03PM