January 29, 2009

The Road Paved in Bumps


A non-Japanese someone once brought up the topic of these yellow guide blocks, confessing that it was what he liked most about Japan. A sort of "follow the yellow brick road" interpreted for the blind, these bumps allow them to safely (and autonomously) make their way around the city, from sidewalks to subway platforms. About a month ago, extensive road construction was carried out on crosswalks in the Waseda area, resulting in these black-and-white bumps. What seems obvious now is startling in context. Imagine people carefully following the yellow line, then being abandoned as they embark the dangerous act of crossing the road. How did anyone not think of this before?

1 comment:

owenandbenjamin said...

I am starting to see those yellow bumps at intersections here in Los Angeles also. But not the bumps that continue across the street.