Tactile Strips

You may have noticed the new blue tactile strips at City Hall and Bridgeland/Memorial CTrain station platforms and been curious about what they are. Tactile strips create a change in texture and can be felt under foot or with a cane and are easily recognized by customers who experience vision loss. Among the changes to surface texture are raised lines which act as a warning to stop, smoother lines that indicate the path is safe for walking, and right angle turns to assist with wayfinding. The yellow line strips with a bumpy surface you are used to seeing at the edge of the platform is another kind of tactile strip.

The new tactile strips are important for making our platforms more accessible to navigate not only for customers with vision loss, but everyone. The tactile strips also provide safety enhancement features like adding an extra barrier between the platform and passing CTrains. 

The implemataion of tactile strips is part of a pilot study being conducted by Calgary Transit until 2024. The study will help us determine whether tactile strips increase accessibility and should be placed in all CTrain stations, as well as if the paths help with wayfinding. We will be conducting an online survey and running focus groups with customers who experience vision loss to gather feedback on their expirence with the tactile strips. Please complete this survey if you have visited the City Hall and Bridgeland/Memorial CTrain station platforms and would like to provide input on the tactile strips.