Accessible Shared Streets Notable Practices and Considerations for Accommodating Pedestrians with Vision Disabilities

Federal Highway Administration2017PDFTech Reporthttps://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/78000/78000/78054/FHWA-HEP-17-096.pdfElliott, J. R.Toole, JenniferBarlow, JanetBentzen, B. L.Porter, C.Lohse, KLockwood, IToole Design GroupCambridge Systematics, Inc.Accessible Design for the BlindFederal Highway Administration (U.S.)Federal Highway Administration (U.S.)United StatesAccessibilityBest practicesCase studiesComplete streetsDesignPedestriansUrban designVisually impaired personsShared streetAccessibilityPedestrianWalkingBikeBicycleDesign flexibilityPlanningDesignVision disabilitiesFHWA-HEP-17-096DTFH61-11-D-00030Planning and Design ResourceThis document reviews notable practices and considerations for accommodating pedestrians with vision disabilities on shared streets. It focuses on streets where pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor vehicles are intended to mix in the same space. The guide includes a description of shared streets, an overview of vision disabilities and the strategies people with vision disabilities use to navigate in the public right-of-way. It discusses the specific challenges pedestrians with vision disabilities face when navigating shared streets. It provides an overview of relevant U.S. guidance, a toolbox of strategies for designing shared streets that improve accessibility for pedestrians with vision disabilities, and ideas on how accessibility for pedestrians with vision disabilities can be addressed in the planning and design process. It provides information from case studies of completed shared streets in the United States that highlight accessibility features and lessons learned, as well as a bibliography that includes sources specifically referenced in the body of the guide and other sources that inspired the guide content and may be useful for shared street designers.100