[nagdu] Crosswalks

[Ken Ace]

Thanks Ann, all good points and questions.
In this case there are large traffic bumps that require traffic to slow down
but some of there urban cowboys just "slow & go". These are in the middle of
the block and very well marked. One takes me into the Post Office and the
other takes me across to a street that doesn't go through toward the grocery
store so I use them very frequently. The street is only about three or four
blocks long so it is not like it is a major artery. My thought with the
whistle was to just BLOW it from one side to the other. Perhaps its just
wishful thinking on my part.
Thanks again
K&A

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ann Edie
Sent: Saturday, May 04, 2013 7:09 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Crosswalks

Hi, Ken,

Is this a crosswalk in the middle of the block where there is a traffic
light and a pedestrian "Walk" signal, or is it the type where there is
simply a crosswalk, and the vehicles are supposed to yield to pedestrians
when they are in the crosswalk?  If it is the latter, I would be very
cautious when entering the crosswalk, especially in sunny Florida where
there are probably many more older drivers who may have poor vision and
slower reaction times.  (Not that young, distracted drivers are any better,
in many cases!)  When I lived in Japan many years ago, they had an
interesting system for improving their chances of getting across the street
in one piece.  There was a stand, sort of like an umbrella stand, on each
side of the street at the end of the crosswalk.  In the stand were a number
of sticks with bright orange banners on the end.  As the pedestrian
approached the crosswalk, he/she would take one of the banners out of the
stand and proceed across the street with banner held high and waving, thus
making themselves more visible to oncoming drivers.  I know, we don't have
this type of system here, and we Americans are probably too macho to stoop
to using it, even if we did.  But wearing white clothes or bright colors,
wearing reflective fabrics or flashing lights at night, and just being very
aware of the surroundings and cautious when crossing are still the best ways
I know of to stay safe when crossing streets.  Oh, yes, and never take for
granted that the drivers can see you, even if you are 7 feet tall and
wearing an inflatable Mickey Mouse costume or a Bozo the Clown suit.

How fast do you think the car was going when it approached the crosswalk?
The guide dogs are supposed to refuse to enter the crosswalk if they
see/hear an approaching car, or they are supposed to take evasive action if
you and they are in the process of crossing a street when the vehicle
suddenly approaches.  But I have been told that dogs do not really respond
to cars when they are more than 30 feet away, and if the car is going at any
appreciable speed--I don't remember exactly how fast--there won't be enough
time between when the dog, and possibly you, notice the car and when it is
right upon you.  So, if you have good hearing, you might want to stop and
really carefully listen to make sure that there aren't any cars coming
before you give the "forward" cue.  I really hate windy days because the
wind makes it hard to hear approaching cars.  And snowblowers in the winter
and lawnmowers in the summer are the bane of my traveling existence for the
same reasons.  Well, at least you don't have to put up with the
snowblowers--but you get a double dose of lawnmowers, I suppose.

I didn't quite understand your reference to whistles.  Are you thinking that
blowing a whistle before crossing would alert oncoming vehicles to your
intention to cross the street?  If so, I don't think it would work reliably.
I don't think people inside of cars at a distance from the crosswalk, with
the windows rolled up and music blasting, will hear a whistle if they don't
even see a full-sized human being and a large guide dog in the crosswalk.
But perhaps I'm missing something...?

That's about all I can think of at the moment.

Best,
Ann

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ken Ace
Sent: Saturday, May 04, 2013 2:53 PM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nagdu] Crosswalks

Hi all!

I am curious if as a group you have problems in crosswalks in the middle of
the block. I mentioned earlier that Ace & I live in the County in the USA
that has the most pedestrian death a year. We also have 40k visual impaired
residences.

Today Ace & I had two incidences where we were crossing and half way across
a car went right by us. Had we been a couple strides faster I don't know
what might have happened because the one was very close.

So my question is do any of you carry a whistle or do you have any other
remedies that you employ to deal with this problem or is it just because we
live in Pinellas Co. FL.

Thanks,

Ken & Ace

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