Ms Léan Kennedy:

No, it is not being implemented correctly. We have been asking for consultation on it. All disability groups should be included. Tactile paving was developed back in 1998 for the sole purpose of ensuring people using wheelchairs and people who are blind and visually impaired would be able to use pedestrian road crossings. The reason for it was that the curb was being flattened to the level of the roadway so that somebody using a wheelchair could pass and cross over a road safely. However, when the footpath is flush with the roadway there is nothing to indicate to a blind person where the road begins and ends. Tactile paving was implemented and a study was successfully conducted to develop the standard for the blister tactile paving that we are all familiar with. Other standards came along, such as having warning paving to warn people when there is a step or when they are approaching externally outside buildings and so on. There are other types of tactile paving.

This has been under review in other countries. For example, the UK Department of Transport has just published a new manual. We are looking at that to see what we can learn and improve for our own design manual. We would be happy make ourselves available to work with the Department to ensure the manual is updated.

Regarding how it is being implemented, local authorities with the best will in the world try to follow it, but mistakes are being made and standards are not being adhered to which is causing issues for people who are blind and visually impaired. In some cities the surface used for the tactile paving is a steel metal-type surface which is very slippy in wet and rainy conditions. It is extremely slippy and hazardous for people who are blind and visually impaired and for all pedestrians. We need to look at what kind of material needs to be used and what the recommendations are.

Warning tactile paving is specifically there to warn people of hazards. It is being implemented haphazardly and it is confusing for blind and visually impaired people. It gives them the wrong message as to what the purpose of the tactile paving is and it is causing big issues for them to orientate themselves safely. It needs to be reviewed and we will make ourselves available to work on that.