The presence of the topic of barrier-free construction in the media and the work of the commission in the city has raised awareness of the underlying issues among the administration, the public, experts and laypeople. Further educational work is planned to bring the topic closer to the organizational units involved in the planning and execution of construction projects in all administrative areas and levels.
In addition to the ongoing construction measures, a concrete project is the consistent implementation of missing sidewalk lowering at crosswalks. In view of limited budget funds, the first step was to systematically survey the areas surrounding senior citizens' and disabled facilities and determine the need. The next priority level will be highly frequented inner city areas.
The barrier-free construction standards of the projects completed to date represent a compromise in which functional, structural, design and economic aspects (particularly in the case of retrofitting) had to be taken into consideration. Unfortunately, from the point of view of individual representatives of disabled people's associations, the projects realized to date are not consistent enough in their implementation. Furthermore, both in road construction and in urban development projects in public spaces, structural and design elements that contradict accessibility elements must be consistently excluded in future, over and above the functional accessibility standards. These include, for example, the natural stone paving strips often used in the city center across the sidewalks or unmediated color/material changes without further significance. In some cases, the requirement for accessibility also leads to the abandonment of previous planning approaches in the arrangement of sign posts, outdoor catering areas and store displays. Accessibility will continue to be associated with compromise solutions in the future, which must be sought in a process of weighing up all functional, structural, design and economic aspects.
1. what does barrier-free construction in public spaces mean?
Definition according to the Disability Equality Act BGG § 4:
"Buildings and other facilities, means of transport...... and other designed areas of life are barrier-free if they are accessible and usable for people with disabilities in the usual way, without particular difficulty and in principle without outside help."
Based on the Federal Disability Equality Act (2002) and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (BGG NRW) of December 15, 2003, as well as the UN Conventions on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities, which have been binding for Germany since March 2009, the aim of the policy is to ensure equal participation of people with disabilities in social life and to enable them to lead a self-determined life. This includes in particular the creation of the greatest possible accessibility in public spaces.
Specifically, blind and visually impaired people want to be able to find their way around all cities without first using a mobility trainer. This requires a logical, consistent and self-explanatory orientation system. The introduction of this system poses a major challenge to the current approach to the construction and conversion of public spaces and represents a completely new approach in terms of both design and construction.
2 Who is responsible for barrier-free building in Aachen?
In April 2008, the Committee for Social Affairs, Integration and Demography decided to set up the "Barrier-free construction" commission, in which representatives of various disabled people's associations and several administrative units regularly discuss fundamental issues and specific projects.
The aim is to incorporate the criteria for extensive accessibility right at the start of the planning process so that planning errors are prevented as far as possible and no additional costs and time are incurred due to late corrections.
Projects that go back to earlier plans (such as the AM competition with open staircase and the expansion planning based on it from 2006) and can only be modified in detail sometimes cause irritation among those affected. As a rule, attempts are made to take the requirements of disabled people into account retrospectively, even in ongoing measures, and to accept any resulting additional costs. However, it is not possible to take into account the needs of all disabled people in every measure. Due to the topographical conditions in Aachen alone, 100% accessibility cannot be achieved in some places. In such situations, an attempt is made to achieve an acceptable optimum.
3. guidelines for the redesign of public spaces in Aachen
1. sidewalks
Light room
- Minimum width 1.80 m, better 2.00 m for meeting traffic
- Minimum height 2.25m
- max. cross slope of 2.5%
- Minimum width of 1.00 m within the clear space, free from all obstructing fixtures.
Floor coverings
- Non-slip material that is as even as possible with as few joints as possible
- Easy to drive on with little vibration, no continuous paving
- Flat drainage channels that can be easily crossed with a wheelchair
2. obstacles
- or at least make it clear with contrasting colors.
- Bollards, flower pots, info points, lamp posts, telephone boxes, advertising boards must be at least 100 cm apart (walking area)
- The Infopoints must be marked with a "plinth" of 3 cm for blind people, but they must still be accessible for wheelchair users
- Bollards at least 90 cm high (risk of tripping for blind and visually impaired people)
- Obstacles with a base of 3 cm can also be detected with the cane.
3. crosswalks and crosswalks
- Always lower kerbs to a height of 3 cm
- on divided crossings, a zero drop for wheelchair users and a kerb of 3 cm for blind people and people with visual impairments must be provided
- On roads with heavy traffic, design stop lines that are rich in contrast and tactile (e.g. on lowered kerbs at crossings and islands).
- a double row of dimpled slabs at least 20 cm wide must always be laid).
- Light-signal-controlled crossings, if possible with a timer and vibrating plate (traffic lights for the blind) Additional stop lines (e.g. studded stones, grooved plates)
- Movement area on pedestrian safety islands 300 cm wide and 250 cm long