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Final Report Page 3 February 2024 Part I Contents SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................. 8 Purpose of this project .............................................................................................................................. 8 What is known about TWSIs ..................................................................................................................... 9 New insights learned about TWSIs from this project ............................................................................... 9 Suggested Future Research ..................................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................................................. 14 Study Objectives and Scope .................................................................................................................... 14 Organization of Report............................................................................................................................ 15 CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................................................................. 16 Detectability of TWSIs ............................................................................................................................. 16 Discriminability of TWSIs ........................................................................................................................ 17 Detectability and Discriminability of TWDs, Specifically ........................................................................ 18 Considerations for People with Mobility Impairments ........................................................................... 18 Orientation of TDIs for Different Applications ........................................................................................ 19 Standards and Practices .......................................................................................................................... 19 CHAPTER 3 ............................................................................................................................................. 21 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 21 Study Participants ................................................................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER 4 ............................................................................................................................................. 23 Setting ..................................................................................................................................................... 23 Surfaces Tested ....................................................................................................................................... 24 Configurations Tested ............................................................................................................................. 27 Procedure ................................................................................................................................................ 27 Data Collected ......................................................................................................................................... 29 Analysis and Results ................................................................................................................................ 30 Detection Trials ........................................................................................................................................... 30 Identification Trials ..................................................................................................................................... 31 Experiment 1 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 31
Final Report Page 4 February 2024 CHAPTER 5 ............................................................................................................................................. 33 Setting ..................................................................................................................................................... 33 TWSIs Tested ........................................................................................................................................... 34 Configuration Tested .............................................................................................................................. 34 Procedure ................................................................................................................................................ 35 Data Collected ......................................................................................................................................... 36 Analysis and Results ................................................................................................................................ 37 Correct Direction Rate on TDI Path Intersection Trials ............................................................................... 37 Correct Destination Rate on TDI Path Intersection Trials ........................................................................... 39 Average Speed on TDI Path Intersection Trials ........................................................................................... 40 Non-Intersection Turns ............................................................................................................................... 40 Walking on Top of the Surface vs. Using a Cane ......................................................................................... 41 Experiment 2 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 41 CHAPTER 6 ............................................................................................................................................. 43 Setting ..................................................................................................................................................... 43 TWSIs Tested ............................................................................................................................................... 43 TWSI Configurations by Test Site and Task ............................................................................................. 44 Task 1: Epicentre to CTC/Arena Lynx Northside Boarding Location ........................................................... 45 Task 2: CTC/Arena Lynx Northside Platform to Rail Crossing ..................................................................... 47 Task 3. Rail Crossing to Southside Platform Boarding Location.................................................................. 48 Task 4. CTC/ Arena Lynx Station to Hornets Fan Store (Upper Plaza) ........................................................ 49 Task 5. Hornets Fan Shop to Spectrum Center Main Entrance (Upper to Lower Plaza)............................. 51 Task 6. East Trade Street to Midblock Crossing Location (Access to Gold Line Streetcar Platform) .......... 52 Task 7. Cross to Gold Line Streetcar Platform and Find Boarding Location ............................................... 54 Task 8. Cross from Gold Line Streetcar Platform and Prepare to Cross Brevard Street (Alignment Square) .................................................................................................................................................................... 55 Task 9. Brevard Street Crossing to Charlotte Transportation Center and Bus Bay U ................................. 56 Procedure ................................................................................................................................................ 57 Data Collected ......................................................................................................................................... 58 Analysis and Results ................................................................................................................................ 59 Detecting and Using DWS as a Warning at Platform Edges and Street Crossings ...................................... 59 Detecting and Using TDI at Transit Boarding and Steet/Rail Crossing Locations ....................................... 59 Detecting and Using TDI Alignment Square at Skewed Street Crossing ..................................................... 61 Following TDI Paths and Using Choice Point Indicators .............................................................................. 61 Using the TWD ............................................................................................................................................ 63 Experiment 3 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 64
Final Report Page 5 February 2024 CHAPTER 7 ............................................................................................................................................. 66 What gap spacing between raised elements in relation to top width of raised elements is acceptable for TWSI discriminability? ....................................................................................................................... 66 Are choice point indicators (CPI) needed, and if so, where, and what surface type should be used?... 67 How can people with vision disabilities better follow non-intersection turns? ......................................... 67 What TWSI is appropriate to delineate sidewalk-level separated bicycle lanes in the United States? . 68 Should there be different TWSI height specifications when used indoors vs. outside? ........................ 69 How can different TWSIs be used together as a system for wayfinding? .............................................. 69 How should a TDI guidance path begin/end? ............................................................................................. 69 How long should locator TDIs (transit door location bars or sidewalk alert bars) be in relation to the walkway, platform, or sidewalk width? ...................................................................................................... 70 Does the use of TDI alignment squares improve through practice? .......................................................... 70 What unique considerations impact the performance or use of TWSIs as a system for people using dog guides as their travel aid? ........................................................................................................................... 70 What is the durability of different TWSI materials, how should they be maintained, and what operational impacts should be considered when installed in different contexts and in different weather environments? .......................................................................................................................... 71 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 72 ABBREVIATIONS, ACRONYMS, INITIALISMS AND SYMBOLS ................................................ 75 GLOSSARY OF TERMS ......................................................................................................................... 76 APPENDIX A ........................................................................................................................................... 78 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 78 What is Known about TWSIs ................................................................................................................... 78 Detectability of TWSIs ................................................................................................................................. 79 Using TWSIs to identify crossing locations and establish a heading to cross ............................................. 84 Discriminability of TWSI patterns from one another .................................................................................. 84 Using different TWSI patterns as a system ................................................................................................. 85 Standards and the State of Practice of TWSIs ......................................................................................... 85 Outside the US ............................................................................................................................................ 87 Inside the US ............................................................................................................................................... 88 What is Not Known about TWSIs â Current Research Gaps ................................................................... 89 Gap 1) What gap spacing between raised elements in relation to the top width of the raised elements is acceptable for discrimination of TWSIs? ................................................................................. 89 Gap 2) Are choice point indicators needed, and if so where, and what surface type should be used?...........................................................................................................................................................90 Gap 3) What TWSI is appropriate to delineate sidewalk-level separated bicycle lanes in the US? ..... 90
Final Report Page 6 February 2024 Gap 4) Should there be different TWSI height specifications when used indoors vs. outside? ........... 90 Gap 5) How can different TWSIs be used together as a system for wayfinding across different transportation settings? ............................................................................................................................. 91 Gap 6) What is the durability of different TWSI materials, how should they be maintained, and what operational impacts should be considered when installed in different contexts and in different weather environments? ............................................................................................................................................ 91 Coordinated or Parallel Research Projects Filling Gaps .......................................................................... 92 NIDILRR Administration for Community Living, Grant #90IF0127-01-00 âEffect of Guidance Surfaces on Travelers with Vision and Mobility Impairmentsâ ...................................................................................... 92 San Francisco, Better Market Street project .............................................................................................. 93 Other local agency evaluations ................................................................................................................... 93 Parallel projects .......................................................................................................................................... 94 Research Needs Addressed Through B-46 .............................................................................................. 94 Addressing Research Gap 1 ......................................................................................................................... 94 Addressing Research Gap 2 ......................................................................................................................... 95 Addressing Research Gap 5 ......................................................................................................................... 95 Appendix A References ........................................................................................................................... 96 APPENDIX B ........................................................................................................................................ 101 US agencies exploring GS ...................................................................................................................... 101 Uses of GS in transit settings ................................................................................................................ 101 Uses of GS in other public ROW settings .............................................................................................. 102 Sources, guides, and policies consulted ................................................................................................ 103 GS patterns currently used ................................................................................................................... 103 Materials, maintenance, and visual contrast for GS ............................................................................. 106 Public Feedback and Evaluation ........................................................................................................... 106 APPENDIX C ........................................................................................................................................ 108 Experiment 1 Section Samples from Data Sheet .................................................................................. 108 Experiment 2 Section Samples from Data Sheet .................................................................................. 112 Experiment 3 Section Samples from Data Sheet .................................................................................. 114
Final Report Page 7 February 2024 A U T H O R A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S This research effort was made possible through the varied contributions of many people and organizations. Sarah Worth OâBrien of the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center (HSRC) served as the principal investigator. She was assisted by researchers Alyson West and Bo Lan at HSRC. HSRC worked closely with subcontractors at Accessible Design for the Blind, LLC (ADB), Kittelson & Associates, Inc. (KAI), and WSP. Alan Scott, PhD, Billie (Beezy) Bentzen, PhD, COMS, Linda Myers, COMS, and Jennifer Graham, COMS, from ADB served as our accessibility subject-matter experts and conducted the experiments and made other significant contributions throughout the project. Researchers at KAI were Bastian Schroeder, PhD, Lee Rodegerdts, Paul Ryus, and Sarah Brown. Mark Walker with WSP served as our transit subject matter expert. Early in the project, Daniel Carter of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (formerly of HSRC) guided the development of our initial work plan and kicked off the project as its initial principal investigator. He also established a relationship with UNC Facilities that led to us borrowing the loading bay parking lot for the Homestead warehouse for Experiment 1. We also thank the UNC School of Government for coordinating with us to use their parking deck for Experiment 2. Ten local agencies shared information with the research team via interviews which informed our understanding of the state of practice of tactile walking surface indicators (TWSIs) in the United States. We thank Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT), Florida DOT, LA Metro, NYC DOT, NYC Transit/Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), San Francisco Public Works, Seattle DOT, Sound Transit, and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for their time. We also thank the City of Charlotte, NC, Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), and the Spectrum Center for permitting us access to temporarily install TWSIs within their public rights of way to conduct Experiment 3. In particular, we recognize the assistance from Angela Berry, formerly of Charlotte DOT, in finding potential sites and introducing us to other key local players; Tim Roberts with Spectrum Center and Kathleen Cishek with the City of Charlotte for keeping us posted on events happening at the Center during our data collection window; and Chad Hagans and Brian Horton with CATS to give us permission to temporarily install TWSIs within the Charlotte Transportation Center, a Lynx light-rail station, and a streetcar platform. ADA Solutions, LLC gifted a portion of the polymer panel materials used to conduct this research, and PSS Innovations donated the RoadQuake 2 used as trapezoidal tactile warning delineator in Experiment 3. The authors express gratitude to HSRC staff or students Dan Gelinne, Malachiah Harrington, Cheng Ma, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Kristin Podsiad for assisting in installing and/or removing TWSIs across the three experiments. It is an understatement to say that, without the participants who were willing to take part in one or more sessions, this research would not have been possible. We are truly thankful for them giving us their time and their opinions, and we appreciate Jack Mitchell, COMS, CVRT, of Greensboro Industries for the Blind and Tracey Peterson, MA, COMS, of NC Division of Services for the Blind, for serving as our recruiters. Finally, the authors recognize the significant contributions of Janet Barlow, who passed away in 2021 while working on this project. She was a certified orientation and mobility specialist who led ADB along with Dr. Bentzen for more than 15 years and engaged in research, like this project, to make the built environment more accessible to people with disabilities. We dedicate this report in memory of Janet, whose influence on the transportation field continues to shape the world in which we live for the better.
