Tactile Paving Helps Blind People For Twenty Five Years, UK

Main Category: Eye Health / Blindness
Article Date: 18 Jul 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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On July 18th it will be twenty five years since tactile paving was introduced for all pedestrian crossings in the United Kingdom.

This red textured surface was suggested by the National Federation of the Blind, to let blind people know when they were up to a safe place to cross. It was developed after kerbs had been removed making it impossible for blind people to know if they were on the pavement or in the road.

The tactile paving is ramped so that people using wheelchairs and prams are able to cross without difficulties.

The Federation are now concerned that Shared Space Schemes are being introduced which removes all pavements and pedestrian crossings.

Architects and planners are ignoring the needs of blind people when designing our streets.

These streets will become "NO GO" areas for blind people.

Jill Allen-King MBE, Public Relations Officer for the Federation who was awarded the M.B.E. in 1983 for initiating the idea of the textured surface, who is totally blind said:

"Blind and partially sighted people all over the U.K. are having their independence taken away by the removal of the pavement and pedestrian crossings in these shared space schemes."

National Federation for the Blind
www.nfb.org