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Coloured Footpath and Roadway Art

Issue

The use of coloured footpath and roadway art is an increasing trend in Aotearoa New Zealand.  Waka Kotahi – The New Zealand Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi) has recently released its Draft Handbook for Tactical Urbanism in Aotearoa – Guidance: Roadway Art (September 2020).  This guidance forms part of the Waka Kotahi Innovating Streets Project, which includes a number of “pilots” funded by the NZTA and the local territorial authorities.

Waka Kotahi consulted an external accessibility consultant on the impact of footpath and roadway art for travellers with access needs.  However, the draft guideline doesn’t consider the health and safety issues for pedestrians with vision loss.  Pedestrians with low vision may view the art as an obstacle such as a hole in the ground. There is a risk of causing distress, disorientation and potential injury as a result.

 

Background

Coloured footpath and roadway art is a subset of street art. It is not considered a “traffic control device”. However, Waka Kotahi seems to be using coloured footpaths and roadway art as a traffic calming tactic.  For the estimated 228,000 New Zealanders living with significant vision loss coloured footpath and roadway art is an additional barrier and hazard to safely and independently navigating the streetscape.

 

Footpaths

The CAPT defines the area where the pedestrian route is safe and convenient for everyone, especially people who are blind, deafblind or have low vision and or with impaired mobility. It has even surfaces, gentle slopes and is free of permanent and temporary obstacles at all times. The preferred width is 1.8 metres (minimum width 1.5 metres), but wider is beneficial on busy footpaths.

Obstacles such as advertising and regulatory signs, seating, rubbish bins, utility poles, post boxes and bus shelters should be kept clear of the continuous accessible path of travel at all times. Advertising signs on the footpath should be avoided if possible. Where advertising is permitted, signs shall be located away from the continuous accessible path of travel, i.e., on the kerb edge, and always placed consistently in the same location.

Blind Low Vision NZ fully supports the use of transport devices as active modes of transport. They help people get where they need to quickly and easily. However, for the safety of people with vision loss, they should not be used on footpaths or in shared spaces. This solution can work for all parties.

For more information refer to the World Blind Union Position Statement on “Electric Scooters”

 

Shared spaces

A shared space occurs when pedestrians, cyclists and motorists have access to the same space, usually in the middle of a city. While the speed of traffic is encouraged to be less than 30kmph, they are difficult places for blind, deafblind and low vision pedestrians to navigate. This is due to slowly moving quiet traffic, the flatness of the area, and a lack of tactile markings to indicate roads, safe crossing points and footpaths. When cyclists, vehicles and pedestrians use shared spaces or zones, there is an increased potential for conflict between them. The likelihood of injury is increased for blind, deafblind and low vision pedestrians.

Rules that require users to simply exercise courteous behaviour offer no protection or reassurance to our clients. Blind Low Vision NZ believes vulnerable footpath users cannot depend on other people’s good behaviour when using footpaths and roadways.

Pedestrians who are blind, deafblind or have low vision need to be able to identify when they enter a pathway that is designated as a shared path.  Written signage and painted markings alone should not be relied on.

Blind Low Vision NZ recommends installing detectable physical barriers between cyclists and pedestrians rather than making paths shared.

For more information refer to the World Blind Union Position Statement on “Shared Spaces”.

 

Roadways

The use of coloured footpath and roadway art is an increasing trend in Aotearoa New Zealand.  Waka Kotahi – The New Zealand Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi) has a Draft Handbook for Tactical Urbanism in Aotearoa – Guidance: Roadway Art (September 2020).  This guidance formed part of the Waka Kotahi Innovating Streets Project, which included a number of “pilots” funded by Waka Kotahi and the local territorial authorities.

Coloured footpath and roadway art is a subset of street art. It is not considered a “traffic control device”. However, Waka Kotahi seems to be using coloured footpaths and roadway art as a traffic calming tactic. For the estimated 180,000 New Zealanders living with significant vision loss, coloured footpath and roadway art is an additional barrier and hazard to safely and independently navigating the streetscape.

Blind Low Vision NZ objects to allowing local ruling authorities like local councils to change rules in certain areas, as this affects the safety of New Zealanders who are blind, deafblind or have low vision. New Zealand roads should have consistent standards applied, monitored, and enforced across the country.

 

Our Position

Footpaths and shared spaces must be prioritised as safe and accessible for all pedestrians, especially pedestrians with vision loss.

Micro-mobility devices such as e-scooters should only be used on cycle paths or the road. To ensure pedestrian safety these devices should not be permitted under any circumstances to be used on footpaths.

We support rules that ensure micro-mobility devices, like e-scooters or skateboards, move off the footpath and onto parts of the road where they’re less likely to come into conflict with pedestrians or fast-moving motor vehicles.

We do not support the use of coloured footpath and roadway art as it can potentially create confusion and or disorientation for travellers with vision loss. Coloured footpath and roadway art is another barrier to the low vision traveller in their path of travel. We strongly advocate that there be no coloured art on pedestrian crossings.

We support the installation of cycle paths which physically separate both motor traffic and the footpath to prevent pedestrians from unknowingly veering into the lanes. Signage or road markings are insufficient to enable people who are blind, deafblind or have low vision to identify changes in road space designation.

 

What Blind Low Vision NZ will do:

  • Continue to campaign as a member of the Access Alliance for the introduction of accessibility legislation to set the framework to develop consistent New Zealand standards across all domains of life. This includes the built environment domain which covers footpaths, shared spaces and roadways. This will ensure consistent rules across the country.
  • Promote safe and accessible footpaths as an active member of the Living Streets Aotearoa Coalition.
  • Continue to seek feedback from people who are blind, deafblind and who have low vision on their experiences of navigating footpaths, shared spaces and roadways to ensure safe and accessible travel.
  • Review the experiences in Europe, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada on accessible design of footpaths, shared spaces, and roadways.
  • Work proactively with Government from the concept and design stage, to ensure footpaths, shared spaces, and roadways are accessible, and reduce public money being wasted and creating new barriers for people with vision loss.
  • Continue to collaborate with central and local government authorities to put safety of pedestrians who are blind, deafblind or have low vision first. This includes advising road engineers, transport planners, environmental planners, local authorities, building developers and property owners of the importance of accounting for the needs of people with vision loss.

 

What Blind Low Vision NZ wants Central and Local Government to do:

  • Monitor and enforce compliance with Road Traffic Standard (RTS) 14 – Guidelines for facilities for blind, deafblind and low vision pedestrians in designing footpaths, shared spaces and roadways.
  • Enact comprehensive accessibility legislation, with enforcement mechanisms that incorporates RTS 14, and other best practice as a mandatory requirement for designing accessible footpaths, shared spaces and roadways.
  • Involve blind, deafblind and low vision pedestrians in designing shared space schemes to ensure the standard is applied consistently throughout New Zealand.
  • Monitor footpaths, shared spaces, and roadways to determine both vehicle speeds and driver behaviours, and prioritise the safety and ease of use for pedestrians.
  • Amend the September 2020 draft design guidelines for the Innovating Streets Project to reflect best practice design for people with vision loss, to ensure:
  1. No coloured footpath and roadway art is used in the Continuous Accessible Path of Travel (CAPT). Note that the Waka Kotahi preferred CAPT width is 1.8m.
  2. No coloured footpath and roadway art is used near pedestrian crossings or intersections.
  3. No reflective paint is used in coloured footpath and roadway art.
  • Collaborate with Blind Low Vision NZ at the design stage of coloured footpath and roadway art projects.

 

Our Position

Blind Low Vision NZ (BLVNZ) does not support the use of coloured footpath and roadway art as it can potentially create confusion and or disorientation for travellers with vision loss. This is an added barrier for this group of people in travelling safety and independently. A number of eye conditions result in the loss of colour vision, especially the ability to see red and green colours.  Coloured footpath and roadway art is another barrier to the low vision traveller in their path of travel. We fully support Waka Kotahi’s position of not permitting coloured art on zebra crossings.  We strongly advocate that there be no coloured art on pedestrian crossings. The Continuous Accessible Path of Travel (CAPT) must be kept completely clear of coloured art works at all times.

 

What Blind Low Vision NZ will do

  • Work proactively with Waka Kotahi to upgrade the Waka Kotahi draft guidelines for the use of coloured art work on footpaths and roadways.
  • Continue to work with the leaders of similar projects to ensure that art does not impact the ability of travellers with low vision to navigate the streetscapes in New Zealand independently and safely.
  • Continue to seek feedback from people who are blind, deafblind and who have low vision on their experiences of navigating streetscapes to ensure safe and accessible travel.
  • Learn from the experiences of our sister organisations in Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada about the increasing trend of more footpath and roadway art in streetscapes and solutions to reduce the impact on people with vision loss.

 

What Blind Vision NZ wants Waka Kotahi to do

  • Amend the September 2020 draft design guidelines for the Innovating Streets Project to reflect best practice design for people with vision loss, to ensure:
  • No coloured footpath and roadway art is used in the CAPT. The minimum CAPT width must be 1.8m.
  • No coloured footpath and roadway art is used near pedestrian crossings or intersections.
  • No reflective paint is used in coloured footpath and roadway art.
  • Collaborate with Blind Low Vision NZ to consult people with vision loss at the design stage of coloured footpath and roadway art projects.