Roundabouts are replacing traditional intersections in many parts of the U.S. This trend has led to concerns about the usability of these free-flowing intersections by pedestrians who are blind and visually impaired.

Roundabouts are replacing traditional intersections in many parts of the U.S. This trend has led to concerns about the usability of these free-flowing intersections by pedestrians who are blind and visually impaired. Most pedestrians who cross streets at roundabouts use their vision to identify a "crossable" gap between vehicles. While crossing, they visually monitor the movements of approaching traffic and take evasive action when necessary. Blind pedestrians rely primarily on auditory information to make judgments about when it is appropriate to begin crossing a street. The usefulness of such non-visual information for crossing streets at roundabouts is under study, but many issues remain. Recent research sponsored by the Access Board, the National Eye Institute, and the American Council of the Blind suggests that even single lane roundabouts in residential areas can sometimes present significant usability challenges (and therefore risks) to the pedestrian who has a vision impairment. Providing blind pedestrians the same information that sighted pedestrians obtain visually to select gaps for crossing at a roundabout is key to successful solutions. This bulletin: summarizes orientation and mobility techniques used by pedestrians who are blind in traveling independently across streets; highlights key differences between roundabouts and traditional intersections with respect to these techniques; suggests approaches that may improve the accessibility of roundabouts to blind pedestrians; and encourages transportation engineers and planners to implement and test design features to improve roundabout accessibility.

External Links:

More Information: www.access-board.gov/publications/roundabouts/bulletin.htm