Steps

3.1.22 Steps pose problems for many pedestrians, and for subsequent mechanised maintenance, and should never form the sole pedestrian route. However, since some people find walking on any sloping surface difficult or impossible, steps should be provided in addition to ramps wherever possible.

3.1.23 Stairs should be 1.8 metres wide (minimum of 1.4 metres). Each flight should rise a maximum of 1.2 metres and comprise between three and twelve uniform steps. Higher flights should be split into sections by landings. Steps should have permanently non-slip treads between 280mm and 300mm deep. Risers should be between 100mm and 150mm. Open stair risers should be avoided. Handrails should be provided at both sides of the steps (or centrally on steps a minimum of 3 metres wide) so that they can be used by either hand.

3.1.24 Single steps can be dangerous especially where sited adjacent to a doorway and therefore should be avoided.

3.1.25 In order to assist partially sighted people, the edge of steps or stairs should be clearly defined, e.g. by the use of contrasting colour. A level platform should be provided for every 1.2 metre vertical rise of a flight of steps and the top and bottom of the steps. This platform should be a minimum of 1.2 metres long. Warning surface grooves should be used at top and bottom of flights.

Footpath/Footway Headroom

3.1.16 Headroom should normally be at least 2.6m, with a minimum of 2.3m for a distance no greater than about 10m. (2.7m and 2.4m respectively where cycles use the path).

Footway Crossing

3.1.17 Where vehicular access to premises is taken across a footway, the ramped portion should be confined to that immediately adjacent to the carriageway thus emphasising the pedestrians’ priority. The short ramp adjacent to the dropped kerb also encourages a reduction in the speed of vehicles crossing the footway. Where vehicle flows are high, such as at the entrance to a petrol station, tactile surfacing may be required. Such crossings must comply with current DETR guidelines. There is a general presumption against the use of kerbed service roads in areas of high pedestrian flow and urban centres.

Gradients and Ramps

3.1.18 Gradients on footways and footpaths should not exceed 5 per cent, with a normal maximum of 8 per cent. Steeper gradients may be permitted in exceptional circumstances, subject to the provision of a handrail on at least one side and rest platforms.

3.1.19 Where possible, changes in level should be avoided, especially at entrances and exits to buildings. Where this is impossible, however, a ramp no steeper than 5 per cent should be provided, if not to all entrances, then at least to one entrance; and, in these circumstances, preferably the principal entrance to the building. Developers are reminded that planning and listed building requirements must also be met.

3.1.20 Ramps or gradients of between 8 per cent and 6.6 per cent should be no more than 5 metres long between landings, or 10m on shallower ramps. Landings should be provided at the top and bottom of every ramp, and at every turn within a ramp. Stepped ramps should be avoided wherever possible and must not provide the sole means of pedestrian access or be used on cycle routes.

3.1.21 Ramps should be a minimum of 1.8 metres wide to allow wheelchair users and people pushing prams to pass. 1.4 metres would be acceptable only on very short ramps. They should have a non-slip surface which is free from glare in both wet and dry conditions. Contrasting colours and patterns can aid partially sighted people, however patterns should not look like steps. A 100mm kerb (minimum) should be used to denote any open edge of the ramp together with a handrail on both sides.

Access Routes and Space Around Buildings

6.3.8 Routes to buildings should be well signed, well lit, clear of obstacles and avoiding abrupt changes of surface. Paths should be set out for maximum clarity with edges defined for the benefit of blind people. Contrasts in the colour and texture of different surfaces should be employed to assist blind and partially sighted people in orientation. Surfaces should be firm, non-slip and carefully laid. Handrails should accompany changes in level and slopes.

Surfacing

6.3.9 All external and internal surfaces should be even, firm, non-slip and free from glare in both wet and dry conditions. The surfaces should also be durable since cracked and uneven surfaces can be dangerous. Hazards such as street furniture or changes in level should be announced by raised kerbs, rails and the use of contrasting colour. Tactile surfaces should be used to identify pedestrian crossing places. Where patterned surfaces are used, the pattern should not look like steps.

6.3.10 Water channel covers, gratings, etc. should be flush with the surface. Gratings should be at right angles to the line of pedestrian flow so as not to trap small wheels, etc. with openings no more than 13mm. V and U gully water channels should be a contrasting colour, and of a size and shape that does not trap small wheels (typically, channels 200mm wide are problematic).

6.3.11 Where a raised junction or a raised crossing is used as a traffic calming measure, tactile paving is required at each crossing point to assist blind and visually impaired people to locate them and to determine the edge of footway.

6.3.12 All tactile surfaces must comply with current DETR guidelines.

Location of Street Furniture

6.3.13 Street furniture should be located to give adequate clearance for passage of wheelchairs, buggies, etc. and should be readily distinguishable from surroundings. Large items such as seats, planters and bicycle racks should be distinguished by the use of colours and, where appropriate, raised kerbs or protective handrails. Where bollards are installed they should be colour-contrasting and be at least one metre high, a minimum of 0.9 metre apart (1.2m on cyclepaths). The number should be minimised whilst meeting their purpose. Where possible,

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

street furniture should be grouped together to minimise the number of separate obstructions, whilst maintaining adequate overall clearance. Mobile, free standing or projecting obstacles such as low shop blinds, signs, shoe racks, jutting steps or outward opening windows should be avoided, as should large aperture gratings. Where obstacles are unavoidable, these should not impede or present a hazard to disabled people. Obstacles should not protrude such that people (especially blind people or those with visual impairments) might trip over or collide with them; or be sited to create a pedestrian cul-de- sac. Signs and street furniture should not force mounted horse riders into the path of traffic. Street furniture should also meet the terms of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 (see Bibliography).

6.3.14 Cash dispensers, letter boxes, stamp machines, telephones, car parking ticket machines, etc. should be accessible to wheelchair users. Where multiple cash dispensers are installed, at least one should be accessible from a wheelchair. Detailed guidance on the design and application of street furniture is available in Section 4 of ‘Guidelines towards achieving a barrier-free environment for all pedestrians in Sheffield’ (see Bibliography); although the City of Edinburgh Council does not require the application of the Sheffield guidelines, and this document takes precedence.

Shopmobility Facilities

6.3.15 Consideration should be given to the provision of Shopmobility-type facilities, where people with disabilities are loaned mobility aids for a few hours. Although these schemes are traditionally associated with retail developments, they can also be useful in other developments such as leisure centres.

CITY DEVELOPMENT TRANSPORT

Approved 20 June 2000

DEVELOPMENT QUALITY

HANDBOOK

Movement and

Development

Traffic and Transport Design Guide for Developments in the City of Edinburgh