36 CFR Part 1190, Proposed Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)

Rollability and Smoothness of Walking Surfaces

Rollability refers to the ease and comfort with which pedestrians using wheelchairs and other wheeled mobility devices can travel on walking surfaces. Rough or jointed walking surfaces can cause pedestrians using wheelchairs and other wheeled mobility devices to expend extra energy or pushing effort that makes it more difficult for them to use the walking surface, and the resulting surface vibration can cause discomfort or pain that may prevent them from using the walking surface all together. There are smoothness measures for road surfaces but no similar measures for walking surfaces. The Access Board is sponsoring preliminary research that will produce a plan for a test protocol and instrumentation to measure the rollability and smoothness of walking surfaces and to establish an index of surface vibration.

Question 21. The Access Board seeks information on related research and sources of expertise on measuring the rollability and smoothness of walking surfaces, including information from the medical community on the effects of surface vibration on individuals with disabilities.