[blindlaw] comments needed regarding policy for audible pedestrian signals

[Ford, Tim (CDPH-OLS)]

I have no comment on this string of notes, I just got tired of listening
to the subject line with all the words run together, so I have taken a
minute to correct the subject line.  

Tim Ford
 

-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Mark BurningHawk
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2009 9:10 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] comments neededregarding
policyforaudiblepedestriansignals

I don't know if my comments below are germane, but here's what I have
experienced:
I have never encountered audible crosswalk signals until I came to
California, about five years ago.  For the previous thirty something
years, I crossed streets without such.  Because of my hearing loss, I am
not averse to the added information such signals give, but I feel they
may hinder more than they harm .  If a blind person becomes dependent
upon the beeps to know when to cross a street, instead of using real
skills to cross the street, the potential for dependent behavior and
dangerous outcomes is considerably high.  Also, it has been my
experience--sometimes almost scary experience--that the audible portion
of the signal is not always accurate; a "north-south beep," might in
fact signal permission to walk crossing an east-west street, if that
makes any sense.  The upshot is that the beep you think means walk will
sometimes mean don't walk, and so any reassurance provided by the extra
information is not all that reassuring.  Also, with the advent of left
turn only cycles, a crosswalk may in fact give false information.  I'm
not sure that these devices are at a stage where we should be pushing
whole-heartedly for them, but I also see their use in a limited
capacity.


_______________________________________________
blindlaw mailing list
blindlaw at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindlaw_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
blindlaw:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindlaw_nfbnet.org/tim.ford%40cdp
h.ca.gov