Comment from Tessmer, Jean

Remove the requirements for Detectable Warnings: They are hazardous, have disabled able bodied young & elderly individuals by way of trips, & falls. Have no record or research for safety. Now lawsuits involving able body ending up permanently disabled. Do not comply with the research conducted for textures (part of the ADA standard for accessible surfaces). End up increasing wheelchair force/effort to traverse high bumps uphill. In line bumps don’t help because front casters are offset from the rear casters you cannot glide between the domes. Research showed that textures matching ½” carpet or ½” grating spacing perpendicular to the path of travel could be traversed. The textures research is based on effort & force required to traverse the two surfaces. Problem with Detectable Warnings are: 1 –Aggressive texture requires greater force to traverse than ½” carpet or ½” grating spaces on level surfaces. Yes, the test research conducted on level surfaces. 2. Domes placed on ramped surfaces increasing the force to ascend start at the base of the ramps. 3. No tolerances for placement. Deviations of a 1/16 inch put them higher than the ¼”. 4. No regulations about cut irregular edges caused tripping. 5. Falling head first on a dome (especially concrete, granite, and hard fiberglass) as a doctor put it to a victim, “is like having someone strike you on the head with a ball peen hammer”. 6. No regulations about replacing: a. fiberglass products when they have worn to egg shell thinnest and crack and can cut a leather shoe. b. plastic mats that are affected UV rays that start to delaminate, peel, lift, buckle, bulge, tear and entrap feet. I have also asked many blind individuals how they like them and they say "what bumpy domes, I am not looking for the domes I look (detect) for ramped surfaces and listen to traffic. Why would I try to search for that patch of domes when all I want to do is cross the street?”