Detectable Warning Surfaces For The Visually Impaired Pedestrians

Posted by Rocco Deluca on March 3rd, 2020

Detectable surfaces used as warning signs act as a stop sign for pedestrians who are not blessed with a clear vision. These warning signs are located at intersections and other busy pedestrian foot traffic spots/areas. There are a variety of designs and colors of these detectable warning surfaces that you have probably encountered in your city/town. The ADA, short for Americans with Disabilities Act does not prescribe a specific color when using tactile surfaces as warning signs, even though the most commonly seen is the yellow color. The only precondition is that the color must have a contrasting appearance when compared to the surrounding surface. For example, if the sidewalk is of the normal  cement gray color, then any color such as blue, red, black, and so on could be possibly used except for the obvious gray color because that is not a contrasting color and cannot be same as the color of the sidewalk.

Uplifted domes are easily detectable with a cane both in feel and sound. It can also be detected by the change in the surface material as felt under foot. The contrasting color of the surface additionally gives individuals with poor vision the ability to distinguish between changes in colors, even though their visibility is quite limited.

The type and positioning of the detectable warning surfaces has quite a significance to the visually impaired. The prominent ones are discussed below.

• Truncated dome (also referred to as the round raised circles) indicate that a visually impaired individual is entering an area which has a crossing. The crossing could be a busy intersection, jogging trail, or another heavy foot traffic location area. The domes indicates that the person needs to stop before proceeding any further and wait till its safe to cross.
  
  
• The application if tactile surfaces that are equipped with elongated raised lines and ridges in between are being used in various cities to create safer walking lanes for the visually impaired. The ridges make it far less complicated for a visually impaired person with a cane to feel the ground surface and know they are walking in a safe area.
  
  
• Photo-luminescent warning surfaces that are distinguishable due to their lighted dots are also becoming more common in certain locations. These surfaces help all not just the people who have difficulty seeing but also people with fairly good vision because in low light conditions they can make a pathway visible to the user in case an outage.
  
  

Detectable warning must be used keeping the ADA guidelines in mind and adhering to them in the best possible way. There is a specific guideline mentioned by the ADA for installing such surfaces. There are numerous quality online suppliers of such warning surfaces, make sure you check them out.