Tactile Warnings to Promote Safety in the Vicinity of Transit Platform Edges

US Transportation Collectionhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15265691987PDFTech ReportPeck, Alec F.Bentzen, Billie LouiseBoston CollegeUnited States. Urban Mass Transportation AdministrationVisually impaired personsBlind personsTransit ridersTransportation disadvantaged personsSafety engineeringWarning devices for persons with disabilitiesDetectable warning surfacesTactile perceptionRapid rail platformsSubway platformsTactile warning systemsTransit platform warning devicesDOT-VNTSC-UMTA-87-11;DOT-TSC-UMTA-87-11;UMTA-MA-06-0120-87-1UR801/U8204;DTRS57-84-P-81778(March 1997 reprint)A major safety concern for visually impaired travellers on rail rapid transit is the possibility of falling from a high platform onto the track bed. This document presents the results of a project to address this concern through the use of tactile warning materials to assist visually impaired travelers in detecting the station platform edge. Presented in five sections, the report documents: (1.) The results of laboratory research on the basic tactile warning concept; (2.) An evaluation of in-transit service; and (3.) An additional laboratory evaluation of two types of tactile warning systems. Tables, figures.138