Hey Nyabs-ers,<br><br>Here is an article sent out by the NYC Disabilities Network about the changes in street and sidewalk configurations in the city and the effect on visually impaired/blind pedestrians. Enjoy.<br><br>Peace,<br>
<br>Kate Carroll<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername"></b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:NYCSubee@aol.com">NYCSubee@aol.com</a>></span><br>Date: Mon, Nov 8, 2010 at 11:04 AM<br>
Subject: [Disabilities Network of NYC] New Pedestrian Plazas Are a Nightmare for the Blind<br>To: <a href="mailto:MsM915@aol.com">MsM915@aol.com</a>, <a href="mailto:DNNYC@yahoogroups.com">DNNYC@yahoogroups.com</a>, <a href="mailto:marvinwssrmn@aol.com">marvinwssrmn@aol.com</a>, <a href="mailto:msapolin@cityhall.nyc.gov">msapolin@cityhall.nyc.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:srscheer@hotmail.com">srscheer@hotmail.com</a>', <a href="mailto:504dems@yahoogroups.com">504dems@yahoogroups.com</a><br>
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<p><font color="black" size="2" face="arial"><h2>Blind and visually impaired New Yorkers are struggling to cope with the city's new pedestrian plazas and bike lanes.</h2><h1></h1><h1>New<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> </font></font>Pedestrian Plazas Are a Nightmare for the Blind</h1>
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<div><b><font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font></font>By Jill <span><span>Colvin</span></span></b></div>
<div><b><span><span>DNAinfo</span></span> Reporter/Producer</b></div>
<div>MIDTOWN EAST — Navigating Midtown streets has always been
challenging for West Village resident Maria Hansen, who is blind. But
now, it's downright frightening.<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div>The Department of Transportation
is in the midst of a massive initiative to re-engineer city streets
with pedestrian plazas, extended sidewalks and protected bike lanes.
But while the redesigns may slow traffic and reduce fatalities, they're
turning many intersections into obstacle courses for the blind and
visually impaired, advocates say.</div>
<div>"We find that virtually every one of these improvements makes it
more dangerous," said Hansen, who has lived in the city for 40 years,
as her guide dog Frisco lay at her feet.<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div>DOT spokeswoman
Nicole Garcia said that new projects like plazas make city streets
better for everyone by shortening crossings, simplifying intersections
and adding pedestrian space.<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div>"New York City's streets have
never been safer, and we are committed to doing even more, particularly
for our most vulnerable New Yorkers," she said in a statement.<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div>But at a City Council hearing last week, Hansen and others complained <span>that
concrete barriers, mid-block pedestrian crossings and new signaling
patterns are placing an extra burden on the nearly 30,000 blind and
visually impaired adults and seniors </span><a href="http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/STTable?_bm=y&-context=st&-qr_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_S1810&-ds_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_&-CONTEXT=st&-tree_id=309&-redoLog=false&-geo_id=05000US36061&-format=&-_lang=en" target="_blank">living in Manhattan</a>, and accused the DOT of not doing enough to accommodate their needs.<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div>"They
need to pay attention to the people that they're serving," said Marie
Gilles, who lost her vision eight years ago and now works at Lighthouse
International in Midtown East, a non-profit organization that serves
and advocates for people who are blind or visually impaired.</div>
<div>
<div><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/sfb111/story_lrgimage_2010_11_R3657_Pedestrian_Plazas_a_nightmare_for_Visually_Impaire.jpg" alt="New Street Designs a Nightmare for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Advocates Say"><span><font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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</font></font>Some of the city's new bike lane configurations have moved crosswalks past sidewalks. (Courtesy of Dr. Dr. Eugene Bourquin)</span></div>
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<div>Years ago, the city's <span><span>streetscape</span></span> was dominated by traditional intersections, where two streets cross at right angles, said Dr. Eugene <span><span>Bourquin</span></span>,
a leading mobility and orientation instructor who has been studying the
new designs as part of the newly-formed Pedestrians for Accessible and
Safe Streets (PASS) coalition.<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div>But with new traffic patterns, he said that has changed.For
instance, the city has been installing new pedestrian refuges in the
middle of many roads, but often doesn't warn local residents to expect
a change."You think you've crossed the street, and you haven't!" Hansen described.<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div>Karen <span><span>Gourgey</span></span>,
63, who lives near Union Square and runs the Computer Center for
Visually Impaired People at Baruch College, said that the pedestrian
mall near Madison Square Park is a another challenge.<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div>"There's absolutely nothing actually marking where the traffic starts," said <span><span>Gourgey</span></span>, who is also blind and relies on tactile demarcations in the pavement to tell her when she's hit a road.<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div>"I'<span><span>ve</span></span> come up to places where things just seemed impossible," said G<span><span>ourgey</span></span>,
who is also president of PASS. "You can't afford to be in a position
where your only means of getting across the street is to ask for help,"
she said.</div>
<div>One easy and low-cost solution, advocates say, is
installing Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS), which signal by sound
or vibration when it's safe to cross.</div>
<div>So far the city has installed 15 APS across the city, Garcia said, and <a href="http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=660153&GUID=DE5D9B38-652F-47EA-8BBF-3EA896BAB786&Options=ID%7CText%7C&Search=183-2010" target="_blank">new legislation</a> being considered by the council suggests there are more to come.<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div>But Dr. <span><span>Bourquin</span></span> said the <span><span>DOT's</span></span> decisions about where to put the devices has sometimes been off-base.</div>
<div>The DOT installed one APS at the east-west crossing of Lexington
Avenue and E. 59th Street — "the easiest crossing in the world" — but
not at the more challenging north-south crossing, Dr. <span><span><span><span>Bourquin</span></span> said.<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div>The DOT also installed an APS near the Jewish Guild for the Blind
where West 56th Street crosses both Columbus Avenue and Broadway, but
DNAinfo found that the signal only gets a person halfway across the
intersection to a pedestrian island and not all the way across Broadway.<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div><span><span>Bourquin</span></span> blamed the mistakes on the <span><span>DOT's</span></span> failure to consult <span><span>wi</span></span><span><span>th</span></span> the community.</div>
<div>"To date, we ha<span><span><span><span>ve</span></span></span></span> not been brought to the table," said <span><span><span><span>Gourgey</span></span></span></span>, who also feels the community has been largely ignored.</div>
<div>But DOT spokeswoman Nicole Garcia said the agency is open to discussion.</div>
<div>"If there are additional concerns, we'll absolutely work to address them," she said.<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<span></span>By <a href="http://www.dnainfo.com/about-us/our-team/editorial-team/jill-colvin" title="Jill Colvin" target="_blank">Jill Colvin</a>, DNAinfo.com<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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</font></font><a href="http://twitter.com/colvinj" title="Follow on Twitter" target="_blank">Follow Jill on Twitter @colvinj</a>
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