6.9 Tactile Surfaces
6.9.1 Tactile on walking surfaces
Tactile surfaces are used for guidance paths (6.9.1a), information and warning to openings and edges for the visually impaired.

There are three types of tactile surfaces (6.9.1b and 6.9.1c) that are commonly used to guide and alert people.

Directional tile:
It consists of raised parallel bars to guide people along the direction of a tactile path.

Warning tile:
It consists of raised truncated domes arranged in square grid parallel to the sides of the tile to alert people of potential hazards such as top and bottom of stairs, door openings and at pedestrian crossings.

Positional tile:
It consists of raised small dots arranged in staggered positions to indicate change of walking direction.

The obligatory requirements and guidelines for tactile path and tactile arrangements shall be in accordance with the following:-

• Design Manual of Barrie Free Access 1997 published by Building Department; and
• Transport Planning & Design Manual - Facilities for People with Disabilities issued by Transport Department.

6.9.2 Use of tactile surfaces
In designing an access to a facility or building, the selection of floor materials may be different for exterior or interior environment. In all cases, it is important to bear in mind that the tactile surfaces should be firm and slip resistant (6.9.2a). Broken tiles or incorrectly laid tiles give wrong information to the user and become an obstacle.

Tactile surfaces should be in colour and luminous contrast with adjoining surfaces, either light-on-dark, or dark-on-light. The material used to provide contrast should be an integral part of the walking surface.