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Narrator: ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION,
MOTORISTS ENCOUNTER AN ACTIVE WORK ZONE
IN ONE OUT OF EVERY 100 MILES DRIVEN ON OUR NATION'S HIGHWAYS.
IN URBAN AREAS, THE NUMBER OF WORK ZONES CAN BE HIGHER.
SINCE PEDESTRIANS ARE MORE VULNERABLE THAN MOTORISTS,
IT BECOMES NECESSARY TO CREATE
SAFE TEMPORARY PEDESTRIAN ACCESS ROUTES
TO CHANNEL THE PUBLIC AWAY FROM WORK AREA HAZARDS.
PROVIDING SAFE PEDESTRIAN ACCESS THROUGH WORK ZONES
CAN BE DIFFICULT UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES,
BUT WHEN THE PERSON TRYING TO NAVIGATE THEM
HAS A PHYSICAL DISABILITY,
PROVIDING SAFE ACCESS BECOMES EVEN MORE CHALLENGING.
Man: WITH ALL THIS WORK COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY
TO KEEP THAT TRAVELING PUBLIC AND THE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
SAFE IN THOSE WORK ZONES
WHILE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS ARE BEING MADE.
CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES EITHER IMPACT OR CLOSE SIDEWALKS,
SO IT'S CRITICAL THAT PEDESTRIANS BE SAFELY DIRECTED
AROUND THE CONSTRUCTION.
OF PARTICULAR CONCERN ARE CHILDREN, ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS,
AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
IF THE SIDEWALK IS IMPACTED BY CONSTRUCTION,
FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATIONS REQUIRE
THAT WE MAINTAIN THAT ADA-COMPLIANT PEDESTRIAN ACCESS
WHILE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS ARE GOING ON.
Narrator: THE CHALLENGE IS DETERMINING THE SAFEST, MOST EFFECTIVE WAY
TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH
VISION AND MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS, AND OTHER DISABILITIES.
THIS IS WHY ON JUNE 8, 2011,
A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL TEMPORARY ACCESSIBLE PEDESTRIAN ROUTE DEMONSTRATION,
ALSO KNOWN AS A TAPR DEMONSTRATION, WAS CONDUCTED
IN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.
THIS DEMONSTRATION INVOLVED A VARIETY OF STATE DEPARTMENTS OF TRANSPORTATION,
INDUSTRY EXPERTS, COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS
WITH VISUAL AND MOBILITY DISABILITIES,
ROADWAY SAFETY PRODUCT MANUFACTURERS,
AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION,
AND WAS CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE THE ISSUES OF ACCESSIBILITY,
TO EVALUATE ROADWAY SAFETY PRODUCTS,
AND TO ULTIMATELY FIND SOLUTIONS.
THE GOAL OF THE EVENT WAS TO GATHER INFORMATION,
EVALUATE AND DOCUMENT BEST PRACTICES AND USER INPUT
TO DEVELOP GUIDANCE DESIGNED TO ASSIST ENGINEERS NATIONWIDE
IN THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SAFER URBAN WORK ZONES
FOR PEDESTRIANS WITH DISABILITIES.
THIS VIDEO IS A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE GUIDE.
THE GUIDE IS INTENDED TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH
THE MANUAL ON UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES
AND THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATION
FOR HIGHWAY ENGINEERS AND THE HIGHWAY SAFETY INDUSTRY.
THE ADA IS A CIVIL RIGHTS LAW
THAT MASQUERADES AS A BUILDING CODE.
THE REASON WHY WE HAVE DISCRIMINATION
IS NOT BECAUSE OF PEOPLE'S ATTITUDES,
BUT BECAUSE OF THE ENVIRONMENT.
SO THAT'S WHY THIS PARTICULAR CIVIL RIGHTS LAW
MASQUERADES AS A BUILDING CODE
WHEN IT'S REALLY ULTIMATELY A CIVIL RIGHTS LAW.
IF YOU'VE GOT A BUS STOP,
PEDESTRIANS DON'T ARRIVE AT BUS STOPS BY HELICOPTER.
[LAUGHTER]
Narrator: EVERY PEDESTRIAN ROUTE, INCLUDING TEMPORARY ROUTES,
MUST BE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL.
IT'S THE LAW.
THIS MEANS DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING ROUTES
THAT ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE ELDERLY, INJURED, BLIND,
VISION IMPAIRED, HEARING IMPAIRED,
MOBILITY IMPAIRED, WHEELCHAIR USERS, AND THE DISABLED.
THE BIGGEST DIFFICULTIES WE HAVE ARE BEING ABLE TO GET
THE SAME INFORMATION ABOUT
A CLOSURE OF A SIDEWALK OR THE CLOSURE OF A CONSTRUCTION ZONE AREA
TO ALL USERS,
AND SO WE CAN'T JUST USE A SIGN,
WE CAN'T JUST USE TAPE WITH BARRICADES
LIKE WE HAVE IN THE PAST.
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THAT CLOSURE
TO PEOPLE WHO MAYBE HAVE
IMPAIRED SIGHT OR IMPAIRED HEARING OR OTHER DISABILITIES.
Narrator: COMMUNICATING WITH PEDESTRIANS IN WORK ZONES
IS A CHALLENGING ISSUE.
FOR EXAMPLE, TO ASSIST THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED COMMUNITY,
THERE SHOULD BE AUDIBLE ALERTS,
AS WELL AS CLEAR BARRICADES AND PATHWAYS.
THE REQUIREMENTS OF OTHER GROUPS OF PEDESTRIANS--
SUCH AS THOSE IN WHEELCHAIRS, WALKERS, OR THOSE ON CANE--
MAY NOT BE THE SAME.
THE CHALLENGE IS TO ACCOMMODATE
THE NEEDS OF ALL THE GROUPS SIMULTANEOUSLY
SO THAT ALL INDIVIDUALS ARE SAFE AND CAN CLEARLY IDENTIFY
THE TEMPORARY ACCESS PATHS AROUND THE WORK ZONE.
Windley: IT'S BEEN A REAL EYE-OPENER FOR ME
TO JUST GET SOME OF THE ISSUES
THAT PEOPLE WITH VISION IMPAIRMENTS DEAL WITH.
THEY HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS THAN THE REST OF US DO.
SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE DONE, LIKE PUTTING CURB RAMPS,
TAKES AWAY THE CUE THAT THEY'VE USED FOR YEARS
TO KNOW WHERE THE EDGE OF THE STREET IS,
AND THAT'S THE REASON WHY WE NEED TO HAVE
THE DETECTIBLE WARNING REQUIREMENTS,
BECAUSE THAT BASICALLY REPLACES THE CURB
THAT WE AS WHEELCHAIR USERS SAID WE NEED TO GET RID OF THIS CURB
SO WE CAN GET OFF THE SIDEWALK.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DISABILITIES:
SOMETIMES WE'VE IMPROVED THE SITUATION FOR ONE PERSON
AND YOU MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE FOR ANOTHER GROUP.
Man: [INDISTINCT] YELLOW? WHATEVER TAPE YOU WANT.
BECAUSE THE YELLOW CAN BE MORE VISIBLE
TO PEOPLE WITH VISION IMPAIRMENTS.
THE TYPE OF SAFETY ISSUES I FACE
IN A WORK CONSTRUCTION SETTING
ARE NOT KNOWING OF ITS PRESENCE UNTIL I GET THERE.
WHEN I GET THERE, TO KNOW WHAT AM I TO DO, IS IT...
CAN I GO THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION SITE
OR DO I HAVE TO REVERSE AND GO BACK TO THE NEAREST INTERSECTION
AND CROSS OVER?
AND THEN IF I'M ALLOWED TO GO THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION SITE,
IS IT, UM, A PASSAGEWAY WITH BARRIERS
THAT I CAN SAFELY TOUCH WITHOUT SHARP EDGES,
AND ARE THEY RIGID SO THAT THEY WILL SUPPORT ME
IF I HIT THEM AT A FAST SPEED?
I LIKE THIS GUIDE STRIP
BECAUSE THAT TELLS YOU WHAT DIRECTION YOU WANT TO GO
AND YOU'RE ABLE TO TURN LEFT HERE.
IT TELLS YOU EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
INSTEAD OF--YOU DON'T HAVE TO GUESS AT IT.
I LIKE KNOWING THAT I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK,
THAT I'M GOING STRAIGHT ACROSS THE FLOOR.
Windley: A LOT OF TIMES, YOU GET THE CURB RAMP
OFF OF THE SIDEWALK INTO THE ALTERNATE ROUTE
AND THEN THEY DON'T PUT A RAMP BACK ONTO THE SIDEWALK
TO GET OFF OF THE ALTERNATE ROUTE, WHICH HAPPENS A LOT.
AND ANOTHER ONE THAT HAPPENS QUITE A BIT
IS JUST NOT DELINEATING IT VERY WELL,
WHICH IS WHAT WE WERE DOING TODAY,
WAS TRYING TO HELP WITH THE DELINEATION.
A LOT OF TIMES, THEY'LL PUT UP A BARRICADE
AND THEN A BIG SPACE AND THEN ANOTHER BARRICADE,
AND SURE, VISUALLY IT SHOWS YOU THE DIRECTION,
BUT IF YOU'RE A BLIND PEDESTRIAN,
YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO KNOW THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED
TO FILL IN THE GAPS YOURSELF, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? HA!
IN THE MIDDLE TO THE SIDE.
[INDISTINCT]
IT'D BE SYMMETRICAL IF WE PUT IT IN THE MIDDLE,
BUT ACTUALLY, TO BE PRACTICAL...
YEAH. YOU WANT IT ON THE SIDE,
BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT SOMEBODY TO TRIP OVER IT IN THE CENTER
AND HOW IT'S UNEVEN, KINDA, YOU KNOW?
YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING?
GOOD IDEA.
COLOR CONTRAST IS VERY IMPORTANT ON ANY KIND OF A DEVICE
THAT IS GOING TO ALERT ME TO A TRAFFIC HAZARD OR CONSTRUCTION AREA.
UM, THE BRIGHT COLORS ARE VERY IMPORTANT.
I GO BY COLOR CONTRAST BECAUSE I CANNOT SEE DETAIL.
THE TYPE OF SAFETY ISSUES I FACE
WOULD BE TEMPORARY RAMPS THAT "A," ARE TOO STEEP,
"B," ARE NOT STABLE, BUT WOBBLE,
"C," THEY OFTEN HAVE NOT ADEQUATE
SIDE GUARD RAILS TO HOLD ONTO,
OR THEY DON'T ALSO HAVE BOTTOM BARRIER PROTECTION,
WHICH WHEN IT'S RAINING AND THERE'S MUD FLOWING ACROSS,
THEN THAT RAMP CAN BE SLIPPERY, AND DUE TO MY LACK OF MUSCLE,
IF I SLIP, I WILL FALL AND COULD EASILY BREAK
A LEG OR HIP OR SOMETHING ELSE.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE FACTORS.
PRODUCTS THAT ARE HERE FOR THE BARRIERS
ARE FAR SUPERIOR TO WHAT I'VE SEEN
OUT IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF MY LIFE.
USUALLY THEY CONSIST OF 2 x 4s AND PLYWOOD WITH EXPOSED NAILS,
JAGGED EDGES, AND NO INFORMATION TO TELL YOU WHAT TO DO.
THERE'S A LOT OF AMBIENT NOISE AROUND,
SO IT'S EVEN DISORIENTING.
I LIKE THAT BARRIER THING OVER THERE.
THAT BARRIER WHERE YOU CAN WALK ALONG
AND IT GETS YOU
OUT OF THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE.
THAT'S AWESOME. WE NEED MORE OF THOSE BECAUSE
CONSTRUCTION IS REALLY, REALLY DIFFICULT.
WITHOUT A SAFE KIND OF ZONE LIKE THAT,
A SAFE AREA TO WALK THROUGH,
IT'S REALLY FRIGHTENING.
Narrator: THE CHALLENGES TO PROVIDING ACCESSIBLE ROUTES ARE NUMEROUS.
TO SUCCESSFULLY MEET THESE CHALLENGES,
ENGINEERS AND MANUFACTURERS MUST CONSIDER EVERYTHING FROM
COMMUNICATING THE CHANGE TO THE COMMUNITY
TO PROVIDING APPROPRIATELY DESIGNED CHANNELIZING DEVICES--
PATHWAYS, CURB RAMPS, SIDEWALKS, SIGNALS, GRADES, AND SURFACES.
JUST GETTING PEOPLE TO PUT
PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC CONTROL DOWN AT ALL IS A STRUGGLE.
I WISH THEY WOULD KEEP IN MIND
THAT THERE'S A NEED FOR THEM AND THAT, UH, YES,
THEY MAY TAKE MORE TIME TO SET UP,
THEY MAY BE MORE EXPENSIVE, BUT IN THE LONG RUN,
THEY PROVIDE GREATER SAFETY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL, THE ADA PERSON,
AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AT THE SAME TIME IT REDUCES LITIGATION
FOR THE CONTRACTOR WHO'S DOING THE WORK PUTTING THEM IN.
THAT THEY KNOW THEY HAVE SOMETHING SAFE
AND IT WILL PROTECT THEM.
THE MAINTENANCE OF TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES
ISN'T JUST TO GET THE VEHICLES AROUND
THE WORK EFFORT AND CONSTRUCTION HAZARDS.
IT'S ALSO, THERE ARE OTHER MODES OF TRANSPORTATION:
BICYCLISTS, PEDESTRIANS, PUBLIC TRANSIT.
I MEAN, HOW DO YOU SET UP A BUS STOP THAT MIGHT BE
IN THE MIDDLE OF A 5-MILE-LONG WORK ZONE?
HOW DO YOU SET UP THOSE ESTABLISHED STOPS?
AND GET PEOPLE TO THE BUS STOP AND THEN SAFELY
ON AND OFF THE BUS AS WELL?
SO THERE'S OTHER ISSUES
OTHER THAN JUST GETTING THE CARS AND TRUCKS THROUGH.
Narrator: THE GOAL OF THE TEMPORARY ACCESSIBLE PEDESTRIAN ROUTE DEMONSTRATION
WAS TO CRITICALLY EVALUATE THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES AVAILABLE
AND TO LEARN FIRSTHAND FROM THE PEOPLE WHO NEED ASSISTANCE.
IT WAS ALSO BENEFICIAL FOR MANUFACTURERS TO UNDERSTAND
HOW THEIR PRODUCTS ARE UTILIZED
AND, IF NEEDED, MAKE IMPROVEMENTS.
Perkins: I AM SO GLAD THIS IS HAPPENING.
WE NEED TO SEE MORE EVENTS LIKE THIS
BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO BE HELPFUL FOR EVERYBODY.
NOT ONLY THE USERS, THE CUSTOMERS,
THE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES,
BUT ALSO TO THE TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES, THE D.O.T.s,
AND THE CONTRACTORS.
WE CAN ALL LEARN FROM THIS.
TO LEARN FROM THIS SO THAT WE DON'T END UP WITH
PRACTICING THE LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES,
WHERE WE'RE DOING SOMETHING WITHOUT ACTUALLY REALIZING THAT
WE NEED TO LOOK AT IT FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE ALSO.
EVENTS LIKE THIS ARE INVALUABLE. TO ACTUALLY HAVE ACTUAL USERS
AND BE ABLE TO WATCH THE WAY THEY INTERACT WITH YOUR PRODUCTS
AND THE SET-UPS THAT WE'RE DOING.
IT'S INVALUABLE FOR OUR R&D EFFORTS
FOR DEVELOPING NEW PRODUCTS
AS WELL AS REDESIGNING OUR EXISTING PRODUCT LINES.
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IN MANUFACTURING A PRODUCT
IS TO MAKE IT FIT THE NEED WHILE STILL MAKE IT
FUNCTIONAL AND COST-EFFECTIVE,
SO WE DON'T WANT TO OVERBUILD IT AND MAKE IT TOO BULKY,
BECAUSE THEN CONTRACTORS WON'T WANT TO USE IT.
YOU NEED A PRODUCT OR PRODUCTS
THAT CAN BE VERY EASY TO USE AND PUT OUT
FOR AN HOUR OR FOR A WEEK.
WHEREAS I'VE SEEN A LOT OF TRAFFIC SITUATIONS
WHERE THEY HAVE A COUPLE OF CONES PUT OUT
WITH WORKERS WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY
BECAUSE IT'S PROBABLY MORE OF A CHALLENGE TO PUT
SOMETHING SAFER OUT THERE.
SO TO ME, THAT'S QUITE A HAZARDOUS SITUATION.
I TYPICALLY TELL DESIGNERS THAT
GIVEN ALL THE MATH AND SCIENCE WE HAVE,
INTERPRETATIONS OF THE VARIOUS LAWS AND WHAT THEY MEAN,
THAT PROBABLY THE BIGGEST THING, THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
THEY CAN USE IS COMMON SENSE.
IF YOU'RE DOING WORK IN AN AREA
THAT IS GOING TO GENERATE PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC,
YOU CAN ASSUME THAT SOMEONE WITH SOME SORT OF DISABILITY
IS GOING TO UTILIZE THAT, AND IT'S THAT SIMPLE.
Narrator: PROVIDING SAFE, EFFICIENT,
TEMPORARY ACCESSIBLE ROUTES FOR ALL PEDESTRIANS
IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT.
IT IS ALSO THE LAW.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO CREATE
SAFER, MORE ACCESSIBLE ROUTES,
PLEASE OBTAIN A FREE COPY OF THE ADA GUIDANCE DOCUMENT
BY VISITING THESE WEB SITES:
ATSSA.COM OR WORKZONESAFETY.ORG.