Aborigines accelerate tactile

Three years ago, Australia decided that no intersections should be built without tactile markings. By 2007, all intersections throughout the country must be equipped with tactile guidance systems.

Australia has been a leader in this development. A strong contributing factor is that Aborigines have a genetic predisposition that results in a large number of them running the risk of becoming visually impaired.

It was also Trelleborg's representative in Australia, Jim Morris who came up with the idea that it should be possible to develop tactile markings based on temporary road markers.

One problem has been that the markings are difficult to install. By further refining an existing product, Trelleborg Road Tape has developed a solution to the problem.

“Tactile” means capable of being felt physically, and tactile markings are markings that can be felt by visually impaired individuals and assist them in orienting themselves. Straight, raised markings indicate direction, while tiles with raised circles serve as warnings of, for example, intersections, stairways and platforms.

In the early 1990s, a number of countries implemented laws and regulations aimed at making all places accessible to all people. These so-called accessibility laws have had varying degrees of success. Adaptations for visually impaired people have gone very slowly. One reason for this is that it has only been during the past year that very good products have become available.

Simpler solution

“In the past it has been fairly resource intensive to install tactile markings, since concrete tiles were used and set into the ground,” says Jesper Nilsson, product developer at Trelleborg Road Tape. “The tiles are approximately 50mm thick and require a corresponding thickness of the surfacing material to be removed. It is especially complicated if the surfacing material is asphalt and must be cut out in order to make room for the tiles. Our solution is instead based on fastening the markers directly to the pavement.”

Interest great

“Developing the products has been a fun and informative process,” says Jesper. “We enlisted the help of visually impaired individuals, a process that resulted in many new insights. For example, we learned that bright red colors can give visually impaired people a headache, which is why red is not suitable as a contrasting color.”

Jonas Svensson, product manager at Trelleborg Road Tape, explains that a great deal of interest has been generated in the product, but that it is difficult to calculate exactly how large the market is.

“No real market analysis has been conducted, but an interesting mental experiment can be conducted to estimate the potential. For every four-way intersection, approximately 20 m2 of markings are required. A simple formula for calculating the potential market is as follows: 20 m2 multiplied by the number of intersections in those countries that have implemented accessibility laws. Another rough estimate is that for a normal European town with 20,000 inhabitants, approximately 20,000 m2 of surface markings are required to cover all intersections.”

Previously, Formula 1 drivers have taken advantage of Trelleborg's temporary road markings. During Melbourne's F1 race, markings were laid out around the course to indicate where teams support vehicles should drive. They were easily removed later.

Further information: Traffic Tech p/l, Box 224, Berowra 2081, 02 9477 7262, fax: 02 9477 7212, sales@traffictech.com.au