What the heck are all these new yellow bumps on every street corner?
New sidewalk ramp tactile cues provide renewed additions to pedestrian safety.
(PRWEB) JULY 7 2005 -- It seems like every time we turn around there’s a new
curb ramp with all kinds of yellow, red or white bumps on them. Do they do
something? Is this part of that chirping noise we hear at intersections? They
weren’t there yesterday, now they’re everywhere…what ARE they?
A
frequently asked question among the general public, and one that provides ample
room for any number of responses. Jon Julnes of Vanguard ADA Systems helps with
some answers; “No, they’re not part of the chirping crosswalks, they’re called
detectable warnings and are literally ‘Braille for your feet’, for blind and
visually impaired persons telling them ‘STOP, be aware! You’re about to enter a
dangerous vehicular way or a grade change’”.
It seems that the ADA back
some years ago, through various studies and acceptance of some results from
other countries having some success with myriad edge protection from hazardous
vehicular ways found that among all known surface textures detectable underfoot,
detectable warnings (truncated domes), about as wide as a quarter and twice as
tall, spaced in accord with new federal guidelines, gave blind and visually
impaired persons a detectable surface that was distinctly unique from all other
textures, giving them the same confidence in maneuvering around in the public
areas such as sidewalks and crossing areas, as STOP signs and red lights do for
people with sight.
Julnes goes on; “For several years the feds did an
excellent job debating the correct size, shape and texture of these warnings,
and by 2001 everyone had come to a consensus on the what, where and how issue.
Because of this, prior to 2001, blind persons didn’t have a STOP sign like
sighted people do and by virtue they weren’t privy to the same protection
mechanisms that others take for granted every day. That meant many didn’t feel
safe, or even mildly comfortable going for a leisurely walk even in their own
neighborhood, buying an ice cream cone, going to the park to hear others
laughing, or just walking around in a thunderstorm to feel something as simple
as the pelt of raindrops on their face. Sighted people take all these things for
granted. As a society, we can’t yet give them back their sight, but for very
little cost, we can literally change the world for a group that’s growing larger
every day”.
What about the cost? This is just another expense that we all
have to bear isn’t it? Mr. Julnes continues; “What’s the price we’re
collectively willing to pay to give someone born with different abilities the
capacity to maneuver safely, or a mentally challenged child who may never be
able to anticipate every possible outcome of the simplest decision to cross a
street safely because it would overwhelm them, yet now we can tell this same
person ‘when you come to an intersection, look for the colored ramp…that’s a
safe area to wait for cars to pass by’. For those people it’s a bargain, and now
it’s a federal mandate.”
Naturally the argument runs to the obvious; why
do blind people need a bright yellow ramp, that’s a little counterintuitive
isn’t it?
“At first glance it does seem odd, but keep in mind” says
Julnes “these laws were designed to provide protection for blind and visually
impaired, those with limited sight as well as no sight at all. Consider that the
bulk of accidents between pedestrians and drivers aren’t because the pedestrian
made a judgment error either in timing or in fact, but rather, because the
driver was on their phone, thinking of a meeting this morning, picking up the
kids, or any number of things that we all go through every day and just plain
didn’t see the pedestrian. That’s when trouble starts. Anything we can do to
make these pedestrian areas and by virtue the pedestrians, blind or otherwise,
more visible to everyone, makes the world safer for all”.
We can all live
with that.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/7/prweb258932.htm