Webinar: Promising Practices and Solutions in Accessible Transportation: Crossing Solutions at Roundabouts and Channelized Right Turn Lanes for Pedestrians with Visual Impairments

On August 17, 2011, TRB co-sponsored a web briefing or "webinar" that presented information about a National Cooperative Highway Research Program project that produced Report 674: Crossing Solutions at Roundabouts and Channelized Turn Lanes for Pedestrians with Vision Disabilities.

Roundabouts and channelized turn lanes present challenges for individuals with blindness and visual impairments, because it is difficult to determine when and where to cross the road, which way to walk during the crossing, and identify when they have arrived at their destination curb or island. All of these tasks become more difficult for pedestrians with vision impairment at roundabouts and channelized turn lanes.

The webinar, co-sponsored with Easter Seals Project ACTION, explored the results of the NCHRP report. Panelists presented a framework for evaluating accessibility at a complex intersection and discuss impacts of site geometry and operational characteristics on the accessibility of the site for pedestrians who are blind. Empirical study results for several infrastructure-based treatments geared at improving accessibility were discussed. Panelists made distinctions between single-lane roundabouts and two-lane roundabouts, which have proven to pose the more severe challenges for accessibility. Panelists focused on signalized intersections with channelized right turn lanes, which may be overlooked in the accessibility debate. The webinar concluded with a perspective on the implications of the report from a certified orientation and mobility specialist, as well as a registered professional engineer.

Panelists for this session include:
Bastian Schroeder, North Carolina State University
Janet Barlow, Accessible Design for the Blind
Lee Rodegerdts, Kittelson, Inc.
Scott Windley, United States Access Board

The recorded webinar is available.