New Tactile Pedestrian Crossing Indicators

For some elderly people who’re becoming less steady on their feet and for those with failing eyesight the transition from footpath to roadway can be hard to detect.

It can be a particular problem at pram crossings and at the bottom of kerb ramps built for easy negotiation by wheelchairs.

Marlborough Roads is currently installing a new feature in the Blenheim CBD and at the Redwoodtown shopping centre, aimed at making it easier for people to notice that they’re stepping out onto the road.
The new feature has two elements:

• A series of directional grooves that alert pedestrians they’ve come to a point where they may cross the road on a marked pedestrian crossing.

• A series of domes that alert pedestrians they should stop before stepping out onto the road.

The tactile markers are bright yellow because yellow is the last colour in the spectrum that people with failing eyesight can see clearly.

Marlborough Roads will be rolling out tactile markings at other pedestrian crossings around Blenheim and Picton in the coming years.