Noticing Bumpy Yellow Pads All Around The City? Here’s Why

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If you’ve noticed yellow, dimpled plastic panels popping up on sidewalk ramps across the city recently, here’s why.

The City of Windsor is striving to become “a leading community for accessibility, walkability and recreation” according to a report to city council and has started requiring all newly constructed sidewalk ramps to be fitted with ‘tactile walking service indicators’ in accordance to Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, which requires these pads for all new sidewalk ramps by 2016.

The pads are constructed of hard plastic, have a slip resistant finish and stand out with a bright colour against the pavement.

In years past, the city required cement to be stamped to make ridges in the pavement.

“Previously, a light stamped finish has been applied to the bottom of a wheelchair ramp to indicate an approaching roadway to those with visual impairments,” says the report. “These stamps often collect debris and water, making them difficult to detect by cane or foot.”

Officials say that the early start to requiring tactile walking surface indicators will allow them to test different types of pads through two winters to see how they hold up.