A study on the width of tactile guiding lines to assist blind pedestrians in crossing intersections

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Tactile guiding lines (TGLs) developed in order to assist blind independent pedestrians in crossing intersections have come into widespread use in Japan. The TGLs are a kind of tactile marker placed on the asphalt pavement of a crosswalk. The aim of the study was to collect fundamental data concerning the specifications of TGLs. The findings of the research were as follows ;1)A field experiment was done to determine the optimum width of TGLs. Seventeen blindfolded sighted subjects were asked to walk along the TGLs with different widths, 30,40,50 and 60cm. Performance and impressions by the subjects suggested that the width of TGLs was necessary to be greater than 40cm.2)Longitudinal raised lines newly added to the TGL on pedestrian crossing were evaluated for their effects on detectability either by cane or foot. Eight blind persons participated in a field experiment. The results suggested that the longitudinal lines helped blind pedestrians to keep the direction of travel while they follow tactile guiding indicator on the pedestrian crosswalk.3)The effect of ambient sound conditions on the performance of blindfolded pedestrians to judge direction while walking in a straight line was tested. Experiments revealed that exposure to ambient sound had the effect of causing subjects to veer significantly from their paths in a direction that was opposite to the source of the sound. Veering from the path was directly proportional to intensity of the ambient sound.