[nabs-l] FW: silent signals

[Rania]

I agree with you Sara, I could see how they could be helpful but it is not a 
good idea to depend on them totally.
Rania,
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sarah Jevnikar" <sarah.jevnikar at utoronto.ca>
To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 1:23 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] FW: silent signals


> This is ridiculous. Adequate O and M training would eliminate this problem
> completely.
> Sarah
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
> Behalf
> Of Sarah alawami
> Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 12:40 PM
> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
> Subject: [nabs-l] FW: silent signals
>
> I think this author is making  a big deal out of nothing. Can't we just
> listen to trafic paterns?
>
> Silent signals, hazardous crossings
>
> Advocates urge city to add, fix devices that aid the blind
>
>
>
> By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff  |  August 17, 2009
>
>
>
> Yakir Arbib is blind. He is also a promising young pianist who daily
> negotiates the Green Line and busy urban streets on his way to study at
> the
> Berklee College of Music. None of it daunts him, except the congested
> crossroads at Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street.
>
>
>
> The chirping of an audible crossing signal is supposed to alert him and
> other visually impaired pedestrians when it is safe to cross the
> traffic-choked street, but for several weeks the signal hasn't worked.
>
>
>
> "I wait for some nice person, or I take a chance,'' the Israeli native
> said.
> "I don't know how I'm going to get around having to cross that street. I
>
> think I'll have to find a different way.''
>
>
>
> Just blocks away, at Fairfield Street and Commonwealth Avenue, another
> audible signal for the blind was not functioning properly. Advocates for
> the
> blind say that at any given time, a significant number of Boston's 40
> audible intersections work poorly or not at all, and they accuse the
> city of
> making maintenance a low priority.
>
>
>
> Further, they say, Boston has lagged other major cities in making its
> streets more navigable for the visually impaired, noting that it has
> failed
> to heed federal recommendations that urge cities to install audible
> crosswalk signals at new or upgraded intersections. Most glaring, they
> say,
> is that more than 100 intersections created as part of the Big Dig lack
> the
> devices.
>
>
>
> "In terms of accessibility, Boston is behind the eight ball,'' said Bob
> Hachey, president of Bay State Council of the Blind. "It has not done
> itself
> proud.  It's been like getting blood from a stone.''
>
>
>
> City officials say they install new signals almost exclusively based on
> requests from individuals and the state Commission for the Blind, which
> also
> fields complaints and requests. They said they are doing their best to
> keep
> signals working properly but would be able to address problems quicker
> if
> pedestrians notify officials.
>
>
>
> "I can see why it would be incredibly frustrating to pedestrians who
> rely on
> them,'' said Jim Gillooly, deputy commissioner of the Boston
> Transportation
> Department, which is responsible for installation and maintenance. "We
> really rely on people who use these signals to let us know if they
> aren't
> working.  If we know about them, we'll get them fixed.''
>
>
>
> Gillooly said his office has not received many complaints about faulty
> signals, adding that people should report problems for quicker results.
>
>
>
> But advocates say the audible signals are often on the blink for weeks,
> in
> Boston as well as neighboring communities, making some of the area's
> busiest
> intersections feel like a roll of the dice.
>
>
>
> "We all have crossings that we call 'pray and go,' '' said Pauline
> Downing,
> a Somerville resident who is blind. She is the former president of Guide
> Dog
> Users of Massachusetts.
>
>
>
> Hachey, of the Bay State Council of the Blind, with a German shepherd as
> his
> guide, visited the Massachusetts Avenue/Boylston Street intersection one
> day
> last week to document problems. When working properly, the chirping
> signal
> is supposed to sound for pedestrians walking in either direction in all
> four
> crosswalks - a total of eight audible signals - but as Hachey tested
> them,
> five failed to activate. A separate audible cue at the intersection,
> designed to help blind people locate the walk buttons, was drowned out
> by
> heavy morning traffic.
>
>
>
> "That's useless,'' he said. "It's far too low given the ambient noise.''
>
>
>
> He spoke into a recorder to remind himself to notify the state
> Commission
> for the Blind about the problem.
>
>
>
> "Absolutely no audible signal,'' he said.
>
>
>
> To many who are visually impaired, signals that don't work are an added
> irritation to their complaint that the city has been slow to install
> more
> audible signals. Some have asserted the city is bound by the Americans
> with
> Disabilities Act to put in signals at new and upgraded intersections,
> such
> as those created by the Big Dig. But Boston transportation officials say
>
> they are not legally obligated by the act and note that the systems can
> cost
> more than $10,000.
>
>
>
> Jessie Lorenz, director of public policy for San Francisco's LightHouse
> for
> the Blind and Visually Impaired, which two years ago successfully
> lobbied
> the city to install accessible signals at some 80 intersections, said
> that
> while the question has not come before a court, federal transportation
> officials are recommending that new road projects include accessible
> signals, and local leaders are beginning to take note.
>
>
>
> Not all advocates for the blind press for more signals, and some even
> suggest it's unreasonable to expect audible signals at every
> intersection,
> saying vision-impaired pedestrians should not become reliant on them.
>
>
>
> "We have not tended to endorse audible traffic signals,'' said Chris
> Danielsen, spokesman for the National Federation of the Blind. "We
> believe a
> blind person should learn cane-travel techniques, and part of that is
> learning to hear the traffic patterns.''
>
>
>
> The relative scarcity of the devices, Danielsen said, and the risk of
> malfunction demonstrate their limits.
>
>
>
> But complicating that view is the growing prevalence of quiet cars,
> especially hybrids, which can have virtually no engine noise at slow
> speeds.
> Some say they pose safety risks for those relying on senses other than
> sight. The federation is lobbying for federal legislation mandating cars
>
> meet certain decibel requirements.
>
>
>
> "Vehicles should emit a minimum level of sound so that all pedestrians
> are
> safe,'' Danielsen said. "Blind people need to hear the sound to
> determine
> speed and direction of the traffic.''
>
>
>
> But other visually impaired people say audible signals are the key, and
> that
> cities like Boston need to make a priority of installing new ones and
> keeping them working.
>
>
>
> "You get excited initially when there's a new one. They give you peace
> of
> mind,'' said Tim Cumings, a Brighton resident who is blind. "But then
> they
> don't work from one day to the next.''
>
>
>
> C Copyright
>
> 2009 The New York Times Company
>
>
>
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