In Japan, at the boundaries of mount-up type sidewalks and pedestrian crosswalks, the level difference between the sidewalk and crosswalk surface is 2 cm and a gentle slope links the sidewalk and crosswalk surfaces so that wheelchair users and visually impaired persons can cross the boundary. But in recent years, there have been cases where the level differences and the gradient of the surface of curbs have been lowered excessively. This solution makes it more difficult for visually impaired persons to recognize the sidewalk-roadway boundary, causing them anxiety. So experiments were done to study a form of sidewalk-roadway boundary that contributes to safer road use by both wheelchair users and visually impaired persons. The experiments were performed by having experimental subjects cross 16 types of sidewalk-roadway boundary made by varying the shape of curbs installed on the boundary. The curb shapes were created by varying the shape of the edge, the level difference of the edge, height of the back surface, and surface gradient. The experimental subjects consisted of wheelchair users and visually impaired persons, all of whom normally go out alone. The experiments showed that wheelchair users found that the higher the level difference of the edge, the more difficult it was for them to cross the boundary. The visually impaired persons reported that when the backs of the curbs were high, it was easier for them to recognize the boundary.
Samenvatting