36 CFR Part 1190, Proposed Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)

Other Issues

Rollability and Smoothness of Walking Surfaces

Rollability refers to the ease and comfort with which pedestrians using wheelchairs and other wheeled mobility devices can travel on walking surfaces. Rough or jointed walking surfaces can cause pedestrians using wheelchairs and other wheeled mobility devices to expend extra energy or pushing effort that makes it more difficult for them to use the walking surface, and the resulting surface vibration can cause discomfort or pain that may prevent them from using the walking surface all together. There are smoothness measures for road surfaces but no similar measures for walking surfaces. The Access Board is sponsoring preliminary research that will produce a plan for a test protocol and instrumentation to measure the rollability and smoothness of walking surfaces and to establish an index of surface vibration.

Question 21. The Access Board seeks information on related research and sources of expertise on measuring the rollability and smoothness of walking surfaces, including information from the medical community on the effects of surface vibration on individuals with disabilities.

Shared Streets

A shared street is a common space designed for use by pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles.⁴⁴  Shared streets typically do not have curbs and delineated sidewalks. Vehicles typically travel at low speeds on shared streets. Trees, planters, parking areas, and other obstacles may be placed on shared streets to slow vehicles. Shared streets can be in a commercial area or residential area. Shared streets are difficult for pedestrians who are blind or have low vision to navigate because of the absence of curbs and clearly delineated sidewalks.⁴⁵  The Pedestrian Accessibility and Movement Environment Laboratory at University College London has conducted limited research on the use of tactile surfaces to delineate the space on shared streets that is to be used exclusively by pedestrians, and not vehicles.⁴⁶  The tactile surfaces tested included raised truncated domes that, in the United States, are used as detectable warning surfaces on curb ramps and blended transitions to indicate the boundary between the pedestrian route and the vehicular route at pedestrian street crossings. Using detectable warning surfaces to facilitate wayfinding along shared streets would be expanding the use of such surfaces.

Question 22. The Access Board seeks information on the design of shared streets in the United States, and whether tactile surfaces or other design features are used to facilitate wayfinding along shared streets. The Access Board also seeks information about other research that is planned or underway on the use of tactile surfaces or other design features to facilitate wayfinding along shared streets.

⁴⁴The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center provides information on shared streets on its website at: http://www.walkinginfo.org/engineering/calming-street.cfm.

⁴⁵Focus groups and surveys of pedestrians who are blind or have low vision conducted in the United Kingdom and Netherlands document the difficulties that these pedestrians have using shared streets. See “The Impact of Shared Surface Streets and Shared Use Pedestrian/Cycle Paths on the Mobility and Independence of Blind and Partially Sighted People” (2010); “Shared Surface Street Design Research Project, The Issues: Report of Focus Groups” (2006); and “Shared Surface Street Design: Report of Focus Groups Held in Holland” (2006).

⁴⁶“Shared Space Delineators, Are They Detectable?” (2010) at http://www.tap.iht.org/objects_store/201004/TfL%20Report%2020100415.pdf. See also “Testing Proposed Delineators to Demarcate Pedestrian Paths in a Shared Space Environment, Report of Design Trials Conducted at University College London” (2008): http://www.homezones.org.uk/public/downloads/news/Exec%20Summary%20&%20Full%20Report%20of%20design%20trials%20at%20UCL%20PAMELA%200108.pdf