Dear All,
Since the file which I attached was not let go through the discussion list,
I am posting the contents here:
This describes the various alternative routes to the new offices in Ely
Place.
Non-Visual Pedestrian Access to Fighting Blindness
Since I use references to compass orientation I think it might be useful if
I remind readers that the side of St. Stephen's Green that runs from Grafton
Street to the Shelbourne Hotel and Baggot Street is the North side of the
Green. Hume Street runs west to East (moving from the Green into Hume
Street) and Ely Place runs North-South from Baggot Street to Ely House.
This note concerns pedestrian access to the new premises of Fighting
Blindness located in no. 7 Ely Place, Dublin. The building is located at the
centre of a T-junction with Hume Street. It is positioned on the eastern
pavement of Ely Place facing west into Hume Street and St. Stephen's Green.
The Flow of Traffic past No. 7
Traffic flows south from Merrion Street straight into Ely Place. East-bound
traffic on Baggot Street alternates with the Merrion Street traffic and can
turn right into Ely Place, merging with the Southerly flow from Merrion
Street. This Traffic moves south slightly beyond the front door of no. 7 to
make a right turn into Hume Street and proceed west to the junction with St.
Stephen's Green where it turns south to continue towards Leeson Street.
Access from Baggot Street, Leeson Street and south-bound busses The effect
of this movement of traffic is that no. 7 Ely Place is on a traffic free
pedestrian route from the southern pavement of Baggot Street, the Eastern
pavement of Ely Place, the southern pavement of Hume street, the Eastern
pavement of St. Stephen's Green heading south and the northern pavement of
Leeson Street. This would be useful to pedestrians coming from Baggot Street
and Leeson Street and to bus passengers coming from the North-side of
Dublin, dropping at the bus stops in front of the Office of Public Works.
Access from Merrion Street
Pedestrians coming from Merrion Street have no controlled crossing into
Baggot Street and so cannot access the above route in safety. They must use
the Western pavement of Merrion Street in order to use the controlled
crossing at the junction with Merrion Row where they can cross in front of
the stopped East-bound traffic coming from St. Stephen's Green. This leaves
the pedestrian isolated from the door of no. 7 on the wrong side of the
stream of traffic described above. We observed that the best place for a
pedestrian to cross to the door of No. 7 is on the Western side of Ely Place
at the corner of Hume Street. Here the pedestrian has time to detect an
occasional lull in the traffic when the Merrion Street stream is stopped as
less traffic is expected to turn right into Ely Place from Merrion Row.
Furthermore, this position gives motor traffic coming from Merrion Row time
to see a pedestrian and room to stop in safety should it be necessary.
Finally, this corner is almost directly opposite the door of no. 7 and so
affords a tactile guide to non-visual pedestrians of the location of the
front door.
Proposal for resolution:
As can be seen from the above, there is no controlled access to no. 7 from
Merrion Street or from Merrion Row because there is no control of the
crossing on the east side of the junction at the mouth of Baggot Street. A
new pedestrian light at the corner of Baggot Street and Ely Place would
correct this. Another possibility would be to introduce a third phase in the
control sequence of the lights that freezes the junction to allow
pedestrians to cross from the East pavement of Merrion Street to the
Southern pavement of Baggot Street.
Access from St. Stephen's Green East
All other non-visual pedestrians can be directed to the railings of St.
Stephen's green as a convenient landmark for people coming from the Luas,
Grafton Street, Dawson street and Kildare Street. Each of these roads have
controlled crossings south to the northern railings of St. Stephen's Green.
Pedestrians can proceed East along the railings, follow around the periphery
of the paved area of the sculpture court forming the north-eastern gate of
the Green and continue South as far as the controlled crossing at Hume
Street. The crossing is in line with the southern pavement of Hume Street
and thus joins the traffic-free route described above. The lights are
equipped with an audible signal, which makes non-visual control possible.
However, The extreme width of the pavement between the railings and the
traffic pole makes the soft tone of the location bleep inaudible to a
long-cane user tracking along the base of the railings.
Proposal for resolution:
To resolve this difficulty, it is suggested that the volume of the locator
bleep should be increased. It would be preferable to use an ambient volume
control so that the increased sound is limited to occasions when heavy
traffic prevails and drops to a more acceptable but still audible volume at
other times.
The road is four lanes wide at this point and the short duration of the
klaxon beacon, indicating permission to cross, leaves the non-visual
pedestrian isolated and unguided by the time that they arrive at the centre
of the road with no indication of where to go in order to reach the target
pavement. This applies both to pedestrians crossing from the railings of the
Green and vice-versa when crossing from Hume Street back to the railings.
Given the age range covered by the members of Fighting blindness, It is
necessary for the beacon to last until an elderly pedestrian can reach the
opposite side of the road.
Conclusion
In summary then, pedestrian access to no. 7 Ely Place is problematic for
all except those who can approach from Baggot Street South, bus stops at
St. Stephen's green East and from Leeson Street North. The junctions of
Merrion Street and Merrion Row and the pedestrian crossing from Hume Street
to the Green are key to achieving access to the premises. Modifications to
both of these junctions need to be addressed if pedestrians are to be helped
to gain access to No. 7. The Merrion Street/Merrion Row junction could be
frozen as a third phase of the light changing sequence. The St. Stephen's
Green crossing from Hume Street would need to have the volume of the locator
bleep increased to make it audible from the railings and the claxon duration
needs to be lengthened to guide slow-moving pedestrians across the roadway
of St. Stephen's Green.
I hope these observations will be useful.
All the best,
Cearbhall
m +353 (0)833323487 Ph: _353 (0)1-2864623 e: cearbhall.omeadhra@xxxxxxx
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