All areas open to the public must be truly accessible, meaning persons of all abilities can easily access the space, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is dedicated, in part, to ensuring this! These spaces demand safe, practical, and durable accessibility solutions such as detectable warning pavers. Looking for these three key features in your next detectable warning paver is critical to finding the right solution.
Non-Slip Texture
As an important accessibility product, it is crucial every aspect of detectable warning pavers enhance safety. The addition of a non-slip texture on the surface of the ADA tile protects pedestrians from slips and trips in all weather conditions. This micro-texture is not only helpful in wet and slippery conditions, but in sloped areas, such as curb ramps and wheelchair ramps, allowing pedestrians to gain traction and call attention to their surroundings before proceeding.
To further enhance pedestrian safety, detectable warning surfaces should be installed flush with the surrounding substrate to eliminate any tripping hazards.
Contrasting Color
While the ADA does not require ADA tiles to be any one specific color, the legislation does require detectable warning surfaces to provide a stark visual contrast against the surrounding surface. This means light colored ADA tiles, such as yellow, should be applied on dark substrates, and dark colored ADA tiles, such as black, should be applied on light substrates. Some local building codes, however, may enforce their own standards outlining the accepted colors for detectable warning surfaces. Custom colors may also be used in some areas, but the chosen color must provide significant contrast.
Yellow is a popular choice for detectable warning pavers as it is an eye-catching color that provides significant contrast against most substrates and communicates the need for caution.
Durability
Durability is an all-around important feature regarding detectable warning pavers. ADA tiles that are not made to last can fail and begin to lift away from the surrounding substrate, causing a serious tripping hazard. Additionally, detectable warning pavers that cannot withstand heavy foot traffic are likely to wear down, meaning the truncated domes will become worn out, and no longer easily detectable, negating the purpose of the tile, no longer providing a tactile warning.
ADA tiles manufactured from durable FRP composite materials, however, have been shown to remain unaffected by heavy foot traffic and harsh weather conditions, continuing to provide critical wayfinding and accessibility while enhancing pedestrian safety for years to come, when installed correctly.
When it comes to accessibility, and safety, make sure you aren’t settling for anything less than the industry’s best! As an important accessibility feature detectable warning pavers play a big role in public accessibility and finding the right solution for every space helps to create a more accessible, and welcoming community.
Access® Tile prides ourselves and providing the ultimate solution in detectable warning systems. Our ADA tiles have been carefully designed and rigours tested to ensure industry-leading detectability and durability. Manufactured from the best composite polymers available, each of our detectable warning pavers are slip, corrosion and abrasion resistance. Available in replaceable cast in place, surface applied, radius curve, and wayfinding bar configurations, there is sure to be an Access® Tile for every project!
