[nagdu] Audible Traffic lights

[Tami Kinney]

Larry,

As we get more and more signals here in Portland and out into the 
'burbs, I've discovered that I *adore* them as landmarks. /lol/ So long 
as I know where these landmarks are in any given area I might be 
traveling, I've discovered I can orient from their location for a couple 
of blocks in any direction. That does not make life harder for me for 
sure. /grin/

In busy downtown traffic, with pedestrians and bicyclists and who knows 
what else zipping around in every direction making noise, I have also 
found that with some practice and analysis on my part, I couldd use 
those signals as a helpful tool for getting a better sense of the 
traffic patterns. It's hard to explain, but I was using the information 
from the signal to then make more sense of the sounds around me, to 
better hear the changes in sound of both paralell and perpendicular 
traffic... If that makes any sense to anyone. Since I figured out how to 
do this, I have had friendlier feelings toward them than I did for a 
long time.

The notion that these signals are the end all and be all for little old 
blind people everywhere is not my friend, but... This is new technology, 
really, and we can always learn from each other how to use it for 
ourselves in a safe manner or choose to ignore the signals we pass. /smile/

Tami

  On 11/13/2011 07:12 AM, Larry D. Keeler wrote:
> As I see it, audible traffic lights can deffinetly be a bennefit depending on how and if they work!  I also know that if you are not listening to the traffic as well you can run into serious trouble!  We have 3 that I know about in our city.  one, I have already talked about.  The second is on a trafic corner in which the streets run crooked.  That one is easier only if you remember that you can't go straight accross.  Holly is good at helping with that!  The third one is on a good corner downtown and I could probably trust it but still, I always listen and then go.  I have come to realize why some folks really don't like them.  As landmarks however they're pretty good!
> Intelligence is always claimed but rarely proven!
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