Braille signage, tactile walking surfaces to be added to 8,400 Metro Vancouver bus stops

TransLink says it is taking a major step toward making its service more accessibleby equipping thousands of Metro Vancouver bus stops with braille signage.

In a statement Thursday, the transit authority said 8,400 bus stops will be equipped with the tactile bus schedule information for people who are blind or partially sighted. It also plans to install tactile walking surface indicators at every bus stop on property that TransLink owns or leases.

Tactile walking surface indicators are intended to bedetectable underfoot when walkingor while usinga long white cane. The surfacesare used to alert people with low or no vision of potential hazards, such as moving vehicular traffic.

• TransLink first announced funding toadd the accessibility aids in 2019.

It says the additions should make it easier for those customers to navigate the transit system by providinginformation written in both Unified English Braille and raised tactile letters, bus stop ID numbers, bus routes serving that bus stop,bay or bus stop indicators, as well as TransLink'scustomer information phone number.

"Tactile signage affixed to a bus stop ID pole will allow those of us with sight loss to accurately distinguish an ID pole from a municipal parking regulation pole and will provide us with the transit information that is readily available to sighted transit users," saidAccess Transit's users' advisory committee member Rob Sleath.

Once installed, TransLinksaid it will be the first public transit system in Canada to usebraille signage across its entire bus system.

Installation began Dec. 16 and is projected to be completed by the end of 2022.

"This will be a major contributor to our ability to travel with confidence anywhere throughout the entire Metro Vancouver area," Sleath said.