What’s Tactile Paving?

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Tactile paving is a type of outdoor paving that uses a raised texture to help guide and inform visually impaired pedestrians of their surroundings. The most common and easily distinguishable shape is the raised blister, sometimes called a truncated dome. Tactile paving was first used in Japan in the 1960s to warn blind and visually impaired pedestrians of potential hazards, such as a roadside or train platform. The raised texture of the pavement is detectable with a walking stick or foot, thus warning of a change in the surroundings in a non-visual way. The bright, high-contrast color is also integrated into the haptic system so it can be easily detected by pedestrians with impaired or limited vision.

There are a limited number of tactile patterns that can be distinguished by touch, and most countries use two to six different shapes. The raised bubble or truncated dome is commonly used where the sidewalk crosses a street; however, the arrangement of the bubbles – zigzag or parallel – has different meanings in different countries. The closely spaced bars, also called a ribbed pattern, often warn the pedestrian as they approach the edge of a train station platform. The size, distance and direction of the bars also carry their own meanings which vary depending on the position, but generally help a visually impaired person to orient themselves in the direction of a road or a path. A lozenge shape is also used in some countries, notably the UK.

Using bright colors such as red, yellow and white for tactile flooring is another way to alert a person with low or limited vision to potential danger or change in their surroundings. In the UK, where tactile paving is highly standardized and regulated, red is reserved for controlled junctions only. At uncontrolled intersections and in countries where tactile systems are less standardised, any color may be used to indicate a pedestrian crossing point. Regardless of the color used, the goal is to achieve a stark and easily detectable contrast between the tactile paving and the surrounding sidewalk and street. Some venues use a high-contrast border around the touch paving to achieve the same effect.

There has been debate about the safety of tactile ground surfaces for people with limited mobility, such as those using canes, walkers and wheelchairs. The first generation of fabrics, especially the bladders, were tall and rounded; this made them slippery for wheelchairs to traverse and posed a tripping hazard for people with unsteady gaits. The blister design was made somewhat safer by flattening or truncating the top. As people with all types of disabilities become more mobile and the world becomes more accessible to them, tactile flooring design is continually being refined and improved in response to their needs. Several countries are slowly developing more standardized meanings and regulations for their tactile flooring systems, in order to reduce confusion and irregularities.

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