A Yellow-Brick Road

A blind person can get around well in Japan. In the city where I live, almost every single street that has a city sidewalk has got, running down the centre of that sidewalk, a slightly bumpy yellow path. A mild annoyance for pedestrians and bicyclers, this road feature must be wonderful for those whose vision is diminished. I have yet to see a blind person in this city, but I am amazed that the city (actually, I'm not sure which level of government sets this up) pays for something like this. I don't think this would go over well in the West, where the slightest word of a tax increase provokes an angry mob. At first, I didn't know what this yellow path was, never having seen one before. Does this exist in the West, and how common is it?