Ridiculous sidewalk tiles. What's the justification?

@ChoculaD

Slip-grip for bike tires when parked?

I've seen them as well, and that's what I always thought.

    @ChoculaD
Slip-grip for bike tires when parked?
I've seen them as well, and that's what I always thought.
   

    -@Aidan in HCMC

Also, where parking rules are enforced, those tiles serve as the demarcation line between the legal parking space for motorbikes and the pedestrian walking zone

@ChoculaD,

Those were invented in Japan some time ago (1967) by  an engineer with a friend who was blind and used a cane to "feel" their way. These tiles with ridges tell the blind person with a cane that they are on the straight and narrow relative to the sidewalk's total width.

They are very effective for the blind person who "swishes" their cane back and forth in an arc as they provide both a tactile and auditory indication by their ridges.

https://www.perkins.org/resource/fast-f … hi-miyake/

    [link under review]
https://doodles.google/doodle/celebrati … hi-miyake/-@Lennerd

I see(!)

Thanks for that, Lennerd.

@Aidan in HCMC, As my blind friend used to say when we parted, "If I don't see you, maybe I'll bump into you later."

Thanks Lennerd, that's really interesting. I thought it was just to annoy pedestrians. When you consider that most sidewalks, especially outside District 1, are in awful condition, with broken tiles, motorbikes blocking your path, shop signs blocking your path and the sign's electric wires ready to either trip you or decapitate you, depending on whether they are on the ground or in the air, shops using the sidewalks as their personal business space, dogs wanting to kill you for walking by their turf, those horrible slanted curbs that you can't walk on unless you want to break your ankle...it's very interesting that these ridged tiles do serve a function.

But it's debatable whether inconveniencing millions of pedestrians for the benefit of a few dozen who are blind is worth it. Like the 01 bus that runs between District 1 and Cho Lon. They made new buses for 01 a few years ago that have huge empty areas that I think are intended for wheelchairs. But I have never seen that empty space occupied by a wheelchair in hundreds of trips on that bus. The result is that there are only about half as many seats on the 01 bus as there are on regular buses, so people have to stand because they can't get a seat.

I remember years ago in New York City, someone did a calculation that it would be far cheaper for the city to provide chauffered limousines for handicapped people to get around the city instead of modifying the buses and subway stations to accommodate wheelchairs.

But it's interesting that there IS a reason for this. Thanks for educating me.

    @ChoculaD
Slip-grip for bike tires when parked?
I've seen them as well, and that's what I always thought.
   

    -@Aidan in HCMC

What is a slip-grip? I think those tiles would be very difficult for a moto to drive on, so I wondered whether they were intended to discourage motos driving on the sidewalk.

        @ChoculaDSlip-grip for bike tires when parked? I've seen them as well, and that's what I always thought.        -@Aidan in HCMC

Also, where parking rules are enforced, those tiles serve as the demarcation line between the legal parking space for motorbikes and the pedestrian walking zone
   

    -@OceanBeach92107

The pedestrian walking zone??? Demarcation Line???

I thought
    -@ChoculaD

The evidence in the OP suggests you didn't.

I first saw these some years ago, then I thought, then I took a guess that proved to be correct.

            @ChoculaDSlip-grip for bike tires when parked? I've seen them as well, and that's what I always thought.        -@Aidan in HCMC Also, where parking rules are enforced, those tiles serve as the demarcation line between the legal parking space for motorbikes and the pedestrian walking zone        -@OceanBeach92107

The pedestrian walking zone??? Demarcation Line??? -@ChoculaD

I thought you were serious and you wanted a serious answer instead of just an opportunity to rant & ridicule.

        @ChoculaDSlip-grip for bike tires when parked? I've seen them as well, and that's what I always thought.        -@Aidan in HCMC

What is a slip-grip? I think those tiles would be very difficult for a moto to drive on, so I wondered whether they were intended to discourage motos driving on the sidewalk.        -@ChoculaD

I had thought, prior to Lennerd enlightening us, that they were to stop the slipping of "...bike tires when parked".

Certainly not intended for driving on.

The "slanted curbs" are there to allow bikes to more easily mount the curb for parking. Street parking of bikes is illegal.

Do you suffer from mobility issues? You're the first I've read/heard having any issue with those tiles.

    @ChoculaD,Those were invented in Japan some time ago (1967) by  an engineer with a friend who was blind and used a cane to "feel" their way. These tiles with ridges tell the blind person with a cane that they are on the straight and narrow relative to the sidewalk's total width.They are very effective for the blind person who "swishes" their cane back and forth in an arc as they provide both a tactile and auditory indication by their ridges.        -@Lennerd

LOL!

Okay, so now I'm wondering, if they're for the blind, why they're placed in colour-sequence?

(- one black - two white - one black -)

@ChoculaD, Yes. The otherwise dismal state of the sidewalk due to buckling and obstruction obscures whatever benefit might be gained by having the tactile tiles. It is quite ridiculous, really. And wheel chairs on buses? In HCMC? Really?

@Aidan in HCMC, for seeing eye dogs?

    @Aidan in HCMC, for seeing eye dogs? -@Lennerd

Or to add contrast for partial sightedness ?

        @ChoculaD,Those were invented in Japan some time ago (1967) by  an engineer with a friend who was blind and used a cane to "feel" their way. These tiles with ridges tell the blind person with a cane that they are on the straight and narrow relative to the sidewalk's total width.They are very effective for the blind person who "swishes" their cane back and forth in an arc as they provide both a tactile and auditory indication by their ridges.        -@Lennerd

LOL!
Okay, so now I'm wondering, if they're for the blind, why they're placed in colour-sequence?
(- one black - two white - one black -)
   

    -@Aidan in HCMC

Aliens.

mAC

Aliens.
mAC
   

    -@Mac68

https://youtu.be/d27gTrPPAyk?feature=shared

Yes

@Fred

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJre-YHmLaI

    @Fred
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJre-YHmLaI-@Aidan in HCMC

I hate you !!!!!!!!!!

I'll match your unGodley & Creme , and raise you a ........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct6BUPvE2sM

Submit - I demand you submit

@Fred

I love you!!!

Submit - I demand you submit
        -@Fred

EXPRESS YOURSELF!

Keeping with our Englishman theme.

"Three lions on my chest"

    Submit - I demand you submit        -@Fred

EXPRESS YOURSELF!
Keeping with our Englishman theme.

"Three lions on my chest"
   

    -@Aidan in HCMC

You win - I can't stand any more

[Post under review]

                @ChoculaDSlip-grip for bike tires when parked? I've seen them as well, and that's what I always thought.        -@Aidan in HCMC Also, where parking rules are enforced, those tiles serve as the demarcation line between the legal parking space for motorbikes and the pedestrian walking zone        -@OceanBeach92107The pedestrian walking zone??? Demarcation Line??? -@ChoculaD

I thought you were serious and you wanted a serious answer instead of just an opportunity to rant & ridicule.
   

    -@OceanBeach92107

Nothing personal intended, OB. I just found it very funny that anyone would care enough about pedestrians to provide a "walking zone."

            @ChoculaDSlip-grip for bike tires when parked? I've seen them as well, and that's what I always thought.        -@Aidan in HCMC
What is a slip-grip? I think those tiles would be very difficult for a moto to drive on, so I wondered whether they were intended to discourage motos driving on the sidewalk.        -@ChoculaD

I had thought, prior to Lennerd enlightening us, that they were to stop the slipping of "...bike tires when parked".
Certainly not intended for driving on.
The "slanted curbs" are there to allow bikes to more easily mount the curb for parking. Street parking of bikes is illegal.

Do you suffer from mobility issues? You're the first I've read/heard having any issue with those tiles.
   

    -@Aidan in HCMC

Yes, my mobility issues are the fact that I walk and take the bus everywhere and don't drive a moto. Because I walk so much, I take more notice of the impediments to walking in HCM than other people do.

A few other thoughts: These ridged tiles are usually two rows side by side, out of a total of maybe 4 to 6 rows of tiles total on the sidewalk. If they're for a few blind people, they are taking up a disproportionate amount of space on the sidewalk. Why not have just one row?

Secondly, I don't believe I have ever seen a blind person using these ridged tiles to navigate the street in HCM. Virtually every blind person I have seen on the street is accompanied by a helper.

As for the slanted curbs, I've never seen these in any other country. Have you? Usually I am confronted with parked motos taking up every inch of space leaving only the slanted curb to walk on, which means I have to walk in the street. And the slanted curbs invite problems like the motos driving on the sidewalk, which is now seen everywhere in the city.