Making Quick-Build Sidewalk Extensions Accessible to PVD - Dataset

Quick-build sidewalk extensions that shorten crossing distances and improve visibility between drivers and pedestrians waiting to cross the street are understood by most travelers, but wayfinding is difficult for pedestrians with vision disabilities (PVD) who are unlikely to know they exist without specific familiarization. This research evaluated the effectiveness of three potential treatments for mitigating these wayfinding problems, all of which resulted in improvement in measures of wayfinding: 1) Removing the detectable warning surface (DWS) from the curb ramp and installing DWS across the width of the crosswalk at the perimeter of the sidewalk extension; 2) Placing a 24-inch-wide strip of raised-bar tactile direction indicators (TDI) with bars oriented perpendicular to the crossing direction along one side of the curb ramp and extending through the sidewalk extension to the DWS at the perimeter, and 3) Placing trapezoidal tactile warning delineators (TWD) along the edges of the crosswalk, within the sidewalk extension, to delineate the pedestrian path.