In April last year, in Yamatokoriyama City, Nara Prefecture, a visually impaired woman died after coming into contact with a train inside a railroad crossing. Braille blocks were installed to make it clear.
In response to the accident in April last year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism revised the guidelines to install Braille blocks at railroad crossings, and is proceeding with installation at railroad crossings that are often used by the elderly and people with disabilities.
Braille blocks were installed early on the 14th at a railroad crossing near Kashiba Station on the JR Wakayama Line in Kashiba City.
A linear block was installed in front of the railroad crossing for proper guidance, and a block with a different shape was installed inside the railroad crossing to indicate that it was inside the railroad crossing.
This is the second place in Nara Prefecture where such braille blocks are installed after the railroad crossing in Yamatokoriyama City where the accident occurred, and the first time for JR in Kansai.
Masao Hasegawa, deputy director of the Nara National Highway Office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, who installed the tactile blocks, said, "We proceeded while listening to the opinions of railway operators and organizations for the visually impaired. I installed it in the hope that it would be of some help."
The government is also installing braille blocks at another railroad crossing in Kashiba City.