Abstract:
Inclusive infrastructure has been a concept that South Africa has been grappling with. This
uncertainty is predominantly due to a historical lack of information available, nationally.
Where bits and pieces of information on disability-inclusive infrastructure exist in various
documents; contradicting information, -standards, or -guidance is common. Available
information is often outdated when compared to international standards and best
practices. For the past decade, various parties and entities, with the help of the disability
sector, have been researching and developing "accessible" infrastructure to establish
guidelines and standards that designers and approving authorities should consistently and
uniformly apply. The National Department of Transport (NDoT) published "National
Technical Requirement 1 (NTR1) - Pedestrian Crossings in 2016" based on research
findings. This paper aims to inform designers about the various stages of work developing
the tactile pedestrian crossing layouts and designs. It references useful documents that
were adopted and developed in the process, as well as explains the latest developed
national standard for South Africa.