Searching for ways of improving usability, accessibility and safety for sight impaired people in complex transport environments

Authors

Aud Tennøy, Kjersti Visnes Øksenholt, Nils Fearnley and Bryan Matthews

Session

C4. Guiding and accessibility in transport environments

Date and Time

2014-06-17, 10:20 - 11:00

Room

MA 6
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Full Text PDF

Design Case

Presentation PDF

Long oral presentation

Transcript

transcripts 27

Abstract

Within the ideals of universal design, built environments should be designed in ways allowing sight impaired people to orient themselves and find their ways in the transport system without excessive use of specialized tactile paving. In the Norwegian debate, two issues regarding the design of streets and pavements and of public transport stops and terminals are of particular concern for the responsible authorities: Tactile paving seems to be implemented in situations where more thoughtful design could have better ensured usability, accessibility and safety for sight impaired persons, and; lack of consistency where tactile paving is laid out. The aim of this paper is to discuss how and why some planning- and design processes produce such results, and to suggest ways of improving the situation.