America's pedestrian environment has become hostile to the safe travel of all persons and especially to those of us who are blind. Key factors in this sad state of affairs are traffic patterns controlled by underground sensors that change the signaling at intersections to accommodate heavier traffic flow with a resulting lack of predictability to the time available to cross a street, multiple street intersections with complex pedestrian island configurations, turning signal arrows that allow vehicles to cross in front or in back of moving pedestrians, and signaling devices that are difficult to locate and understand. All this in addition to disappearing sidewalks that are either never constructed or allowed to fall into serious disrepair.

If we as a blind community are to preserve our ability to independently travel, then we simply must take the necessary actions to engage the decision makers in federal, state and local agencies to educate them to the dangers of the decisions they are making. We must also link our efforts with other pedestrian groups to put the issues clearly on the public agenda.

Advocacy requires information. It is not simply enough to know the danger, but we must speak to those who are responsible for traffic control and pedestrian infrastructure in the language they speak, in the concepts they understand and with a force of commitment as if our lives depend on it, because in many ways they do.

This handbook begins the process of providing a baseline education to the issues and offers some ways of making a positive change. As time goes by and we make progress in our effort, this handbook will reflect the wisdom we will gain.

Read this information well. Even as we are taking on a challenge of truly massive proportion, our blind brothers and sisters remain at risk. In the past eleven months, there have been at least 4 deaths of blind people of which we know and serious injuries to others. For all the sorrow we feel and for all the pain their families have endured; the tragic reality is that we cannot bring them back. However, we can make a solemn promise to work to make the pedestrian world a safer place for people who are blind and sighted alike. This is our goal and we truly can accomplish it armed with the love and support we have for each other, the memory of those who might have lived in a more safe environment and from the knowledge we gain through this handbook.

On a per-mile basis, walking is more dangerous than driving, flying, or riding a bus or train.

In 1996, 5,157 pedestrians were killed on U.S. streets.

On average, just 1 percent of funds spent in states on safety projects were directed at pedestrian safety, despite the fact that nationwide approximately 12 percent of traffic deaths and serious injuries were to pedestrians.

People who are blind or visually impaired are disproportionately represented in the pedestrian population.

Pedestrian signs can and should be made accessible for pedestrians who are blind or visually impaired.

Accessible pedestrian signals provide information in non-visual format, which includes audible tones or verbal messages, and/or vibrotactile information.

Introduction

Public rights of way, including pedestrian facilities, are required by federal law to be accessible to people with disabilities, including those who are blind or visually impaired. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights statute that prohibits discrimination against people who have disabilities. Under the ADA, designing and constructing facilities that are not usable by people with disabilities constitutes discrimination. Failure to make facilities accessible during alterations constitutes discrimination. In addition, failure to make the benefits of government programs, activities, and services available to people who have disabilities because existing facilities are inaccessible is also discrimination. Title II, subpart A, of the ADA covers state and local government services, including the design and construction of buildings and facilities and the operation of government programs. Street, sidewalk, and shared-use path construction that is funded wholly or in part with federal monies is also subject to the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, both of which prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities.

New Construction - 28 CFR 35.151(a)

Any facility or part of a facility that is newly constructed by a state or local government must be designed and constructed so that it is readily accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. This requirement applies to any construction that was begun after January 26, 1992. Facilities under design on January 26, 1992 are included if the date that bids were invited for the construction was after January 26, 1992.

Alterations - 28 CFR 735.151(b)

Alterations to existing facilities must include modifications to make the altered area accessible to individuals with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Justice implementing regulation (28 CFR 735.151) defines an alteration as a change that "...affects or could affect the usability of a facility or part of a facility." In Kinney v. Yerusalim, the court held, that if a street is to be altered to make it more usable by the general public, it must also be made more usable for those with disabilities.

Existing Facilities - 28 CFR 35.150

Government facilities which were in existence prior to the effective dates of the ADA, and which have not been altered, must achieve 'program access.' That is, the program must, when viewed in its entirety, not deny people with disabilities access to government programs and services. The obligation to provide architectural access to existing state and local government facilities is based on first determining whether program access to government programs and activities can be provided without the need to make structural modifications. If program access cannot be provided without structural modification, structural modifications must be made. A pedestrian circulation system-- sidewalks, street crossings, shared-use paths in the public right-of-way--is a program that a local government provides for its citizens. And it is the general availability of this program to people with disabilities that must be evaluated when considering the existing pedestrian environment. However, full compliance with facility standards developed for new construction and alterations may not be required to achieve program access. With respect to the installation of curb ramps, for example, DOJ's Title II Technical Assistance Manual notes that curb ramps may not be required at every existing walkway if a basic level of access to the pedestrian network can be achieved by other means, e.g., the use of a slightly longer route. Similarly, it will take time to install accessible pedestrian features at existing intersections. Municipalities should develop a plan for their installation such that pedestrian routes are, when viewed in their entirety, accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired within reasonable travel time limits.

In the old days traffic lights made traffic easier by making the environment highly predictable. Lights changed like clockwork, because they WERE clockwork. Big gears turned in the controller boxes, and the gears clicked into place with an audible CLICK. Cars with big V8's roared from their rumbling rests and announced the light change that the box click had predicted.

With the mass move to the suburbs, the advent of computers and the simultaneous explosion of the number of cars on the road, things began to change. Although the idea of actuation is nearly as old as the car itself, cheap, reliable computer power, combined with pressure to move traffic as efficiently as possible, has made the actuated intersection an increasingly common feature in the life of the American pedestrian. So...a brief overview of the details of the new reality.

There are two main types of controllers used to switch traffic lights, pretimed and traffic-actuated:

Pretimed (fixed time) traffic lights operate with a predictable, regularly repeated sequence of signal indications. For example, a light that changes every 30 seconds is called a fixed timed light. Often at an intersection the major street gets more time (a longer phase), and the minor street gets less (a shorter phase). Sometimes in rush hour the time allocated to the major street can be programmed to be even longer. Generally, though, they are very predictable. Most signals used to be of this type. They are still very common in downtown areas because traffic volume is predictable, stable and fairly consistent. The clockwork itself is mostly gone though, replaced by silent computer chips.

At traffic-actuated intersections, the lights respond to the traffic that is present. For example, if there is no traffic in the left turn lane, the left turn arrow will not function during that cycle. If there is only one car in the northbound lanes, the light may be green only for enough time to allow that car to cross the intersection.

The semi-actuated intersection is the most common type you are likely to encounter. They are very common once you are beyond the downtown areas of the city, usually when a minor street crosses a major one. It is called semi-actuated because of the minor street, and only the minor street, has sensors or detectors in it. The engineer's goal here is to maximize efficient and safe traffic movement. Therefore, the major street has a green light unless there is a car waiting on the minor street. That car triggers a detector, and eventually will be given a green light. If there were no cars there, the light would never turn green! More cars = Longer light! One car = Shorter light! Sometimes as short as seven seconds!

If the intersection was designed for pedestrian use, there may be a pedestrian walk/don't walk signal. To get a walk signal, you must push the pedestrian button to get a special longer pedestrian timing. Especially when the main street is very wide, the green phase programmed for a single car will not be long enough to allow a pedestrian to safely cross the street. In that situation, it is essential for the pedestrian to push the pedestrian push button in order to have enough time to walk across the street. Rather than seven seconds for a single car, a pedestrian may get twenty seconds or more to cross the street-- only if the intersection "knows" the pedestrian is there.

One variation of a semi-actuated intersection occurs when both streets are large. Turn lanes on both streets may also have sensors in them, which can affect intersection timings and phases markedly.

Fully actuated intersections are relatively rare and occur where two streets meet and there are detectors on all approaches. These are typically two very busy streets.

It is also possible for a street or intersection to operate on a pre-timed basis at some times, and on fully actuated or semi- actuated control at other times. Also, in case of construction damage to the actuators, or computer failure, the intersection will usually revert to pre-timed. The possible variations make it important to call your local traffic engineer to get the details when using an unfamiliar intersection. Learn the theory and "jargon" so that you can solicit the information from traffic engineers.

In some cases there may be a pedestrian button but no pedhead (see definitions below). In that case the pedestrian timing will apply, but there is no separate information provided. In other cases there is a pedestrian button and a pedhead. The messages provided by the pedheads are so widely misunderstood by the general public that they are worth a review here.

The WALK interval is generally only four to seven seconds long. That is to say the signal only says WALK (or shows the illustration of a walking person) for that long. The pedestrian is expected to leave the curb during this interval but is allocated a much longer period to make it across the street. When a flashing DON'T WALK or ORANGE HAND is visible, it is the "pedestrian clearance interval." It lasts much longer than the WALK interval. It is often misunderstood, but the intent of flashing DON'T WALK is to discourage pedestrians from starting to cross when there is insufficient time to complete the crossing. The pedestrian who is in the middle of the street generally has time to complete the crossing after the flashing DON'T WALK begins.

The solid DON'T WALK signal occurs after the flashing DON'T WALK in conjunction with the vehicular yellow signal. Pedestrians should have cleared the intersection at that point. There is also a "change interval" where the light is red in all directions.

DEFINITIONS AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Below are some definitions of common terms as used by traffic engineers. Phase and cycle, in particular, have precise definitions. It may be helpful for you to understand these terms in talking to a traffic engineer about an intersection.

Pedhead- the "walk/don't walk" signal, usually a square box-type signal on a pole, aligned to be visible to sighted pedestrians from the crosswalk

Ped button- the push button that you push (sometimes called the ped detector), which may be difficult to located at some intersections, but is usually on the same pole as the pedhead

Pedcall- What happens when you push the button. Signals the signal controller box that there is a pedestrian at the intersection

Ped Phase- what you get for pushing the button (the ped phase is designed to be a long enough time to walk, rather than drive, across the intersection)

Cycle- the time required for one complete sequence of light changes (phases)

Phase- a part of a signal cycle allocated to any combination of one or more traffic movements receiving the right of way at the same time, for example, the westbound phase, the pedestrian phase

Interval- a portion of the signal cycle during which the signal indications remain unchanged, for example, the pedestrian walk interval, the pedestrian clearance interval

Split- percentage of the cycle length allocated to each of the various phases

Components of the Traffic Actuated Signal
A traffic actuated signal has four main components: detectors, controller unit, signal heads (the traffic lights), and connecting cables. The most common type of detector is an "induction loop" where a loop of metal wire is embedded in the pavement, and then covered with waterproof putty to prevent weather damage. These "loops" may be diamond shaped, rectangular or square or round, and are usually at least 5 feet on a side. They are often, but not always, visible. An electric current is passed through the loop. When a vehicle travels over the detector, its metallic mass changes the inductance of the loop, notifying the controller unit of the vehicle's presence. The pedestrian "detector" is generally the ped button; however, there are some other types of detection systems being developed.

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) surveyed 158 pedestrians who are legally blind regarding their experiences in independently crossing at intersections with and without audible signals.

91% of respondents indicated that they sometimes had difficulty knowing when to begin crossing (difficulty hearing surge of traffic on street beside them), which they attributed to one or more of four reasons.

-The surge was masked by right turning traffic 91%
-Traffic flow was intermittent86%
-The intersection was too noisy81%
-The surge of traffic was too far away65%

79% of respondents indicated that they sometimes had difficulty traveling straight across the street, for one or more of the following three reasons.

-Difficulty figuring out where the destination corner was 79%
-Veered because there was no acoustic guideline (parallel traffic)75%
-Veered because the street was too wide70%

90% of respondents had experienced one or more of the following problems with push buttons.

-Couldn't tell whether they needed to push a button90%
-Had difficulty locating the push button 87%
-Couldn't tell which crosswalk was actuated by the push button 81%
-Push button was so far from the corner that they couldn't push the button and then return to the crosswalk and prepare for crossing before the WALK interval began78%

71% of respondents had experienced one or more of the following eight difficulties with existing accessible pedestrian signals.

-The signal was too quiet 71%
-Couldn't tell which crosswalk had the WALK signal 68%
-The signal was too loud 45%
-Couldn't remember which of two sounds was associated with crossing in a particular direction 27%
-Confused by the sound of an APS for another intersection 19%
-Couldn't localize the sound of an APS and use it for guidance 6%
-Crossed street with an actual bird instead of bird call signal 4%
-Didn't cross because they thought the signal was an actual bird 3%

TEA-21, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, was signed into law on June 9, 1998. TEA-21 reauthorizes federal surface transportation legislation formerly entitled the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). It has been called the largest public works legislation in U.S. history, authorizing $217.5 billion in transportation funding over the next six years.

The law, as originally enacted, was designed to promote the safe and efficient mobility of goods and people, including people with disabilities, while mitigating congestion and pollution by striking a balance between the federal investment in highways and the federal investment in mass transit. Advocates for public transportation struggled to maintain this balance during the ISTEA rewrite. Overall, this balance was maintained and there was approximately a 50 percent increase in funding for both highway projects and mass transit over previous authorization levels. Only part of the funds authorized, however, are guaranteed. Part of the funds are subject to the annual appropriations process. Thus, public transportation advocates must work every year to educate their representatives to ensure that maximum funds are appropriated for public transportation.

There are a number of provisions in TEA-21 that are important to people who are blind or visually impaired. The purpose of this article is to provide advocates at the state and local levels with the information and references to use in local advocacy efforts. It is up to local advocates to make accessibility projects a priority with local planners.

Pedestrian access
Section 1202 of TEA-21 requires that bicyclists and pedestrians, including pedestrians with disabilities, be given due consideration in the comprehensive transportation plans developed by each metropolitan planning organization and state. This section further provides that "Bicycle transportation facilities and pedestrian walkways shall be considered, where appropriate, in conjunction with all new construction and reconstruction of transportation facilities, except where bicycle and pedestrian use are not permitted." Additionally, TEA-21 provides that transportation plans and projects must provide due consideration for safety and contiguous routes for bicyclists and pedestrians. Safety considerations must include the installation, where appropriate, and maintenance of audible traffic signals and audible signs at street crossings. While this section does not specify where audible street crossing technology must be installed, its inclusion in this section of the legislation means that projects to install such technologies are eligible for federal matching funds of at least 80 percent.

ACB is serving on an advisory committee of the Institute of Transportation Engineers to establish guidelines for the installation of accessible pedestrian technologies. Advocates will have to work at the local level to ensure that funds are applied to making street crossings accessible. The Access Board has recently completed a report summarizing the accessible pedestrian technologies currently available. To obtain a copy, call: 1-800-USA-ABLE (873-2253).

Section 1202 of TEA-21 calls for design guidelines to be developed by the Secretary of Transportation, in cooperation with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and other interested organizations, on the various approaches to accommodating bicycles and pedestrian travel. The guidance must include recommendations on amending and updating the policies of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials relating to highway and street design standards to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians. ACB will work to ensure that the new design guidelines consider the access needs of blind and visually impaired pedestrians.

Advocates must remember that TEA-21 is authorizing legislation. Most of the access provisions are not mandates; they are merely authorizations for federal matching funds. Local planners will determine which projects will have federal funds applied to them. To learn how you can get involved in seeing that TEA-21 funds are used to make pedestrian and public transportation access a reality in your area, contact your metropolitan planning organization (MPO) or your state Department of Transportation. You can also contact your regional office of the Federal Transit Administration to learn how to get involved in the TEA-21 planning in your area. Contact information for FTA regional offices can be found on the FTA web site, http://www.fta.dot.gov. For more information and updates, visit the following web sites: http://www.dot.gov, http://www.transact.org, http://www.istea.org.

This is an excellent written exposition on the subject of accessible pedestrian signals. The topics covered in this document are:
1. Accessible Pedestrian Signals
2. Information Requirements at Intersections
3. Accessible Traffic Signal Technologies
4. Characteristics of Accessible Pedestrian Signals
5. Determining When to Install Accessible Pedestrian Signals
6. Specifying Accessible Pedestrian Signals
7. Installing Accessible Pedestrian Signals
8. Pedestrian Detection Technology
9. Matrix: APS Functional Characteristics
10. APS Product Sources

Sources of Information
You can order this report free of charge, in large print, on disk, or in regular print, through the U.S. Access Board by Phone by calling 1-800-872-2253 and requesting publication A37 or through e-mail at: pubs@access-board.gov

Accessible Pedestrian Signals Product Information

ACCESSIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS by Billie Louise Bentzen, Ph.D. and Lee S. Tabor, AIA

PRODUCT FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

[Characteristics of eleven products are described in a matrix format, giving the following information for each product.]

1. Type of product: Speaker mounted in the ped-head (visual pedestrian signal); transmitter mounted in the ped-head; or push- button integrated

2. Audible walk signal characteristics: voice; bell; buzzer; birdcalls; ticker; or tones

3. Sound volume: fixed; variable by the installer; automatically varying in relation to ambient sound level; variable by the user; or audible only at user request

4. Presence of an audible locating tone for a pedestrian push button

5. Presence of a special walk onset tone at the beginning of the walk interval

6. Presence of a vibrating walk signal

7. Actuation indication: either a light or a tone to indicate that a pedestrian has pushed the button to request a walk interval

8. Tactile information: either an arrow to indicate which street a push button controls, or additional tactile information about street geometry

9. Street name

For each product below, this text version will state whether the characteristic is a standard feature or is optional. Information on product sources follows this text.

Campbell/Panich Push button integrated-standard; tones-standard; voice or birdcalls-optional; automatically variable volume- standard; actuation indication (light)-optional; tactile arrow- standard.

Georgetown Push button integrated-standard; buzzer-optional; actuated only when button is depressed for at least three seconds-optional; audible locating signal-optional; vibrating walk signal-standard; tactile arrow-standard.

Intersection Development Corporation Speaker mounted on or in the ped-head-standard; birdcalls (cuckoo and chirp to indicate which crosswalk has the walk interval)-standard; automatically variable volume-standard.

Mallory Speaker mountedon or in the ped-head, providing either birdcalls or tones-standard; fixed sound volume-standard. This product is a component for a ped-head.

Novax Industries Speaker mounted on or in the ped-head-standard; birdcalls-standard; optional sounds include voice, bell, buzzer, ticker, and tones; sound volume can be set by installer within maximum and minimum limits, and then automatically variable volume-standard. A separate push button product actuates an audible signal only when the button is depressed for at least three seconds.

Polara Engineering Push button integrated-standard; tones- optional; vibrating walk signal-standard; audible locating signal-optional; tactile arrow-standard; street name in braille and raised print-standard; street geometry information-optional. This product retrofits an existing push button.

Prisma Teknik Push button integrated-standard; tone-standard; voice-optional; sound volume set by installer within maximum and minimum limits, and then automatically variable volume-standard; audible locating signal-standard; vibrating walk signal-optional; actuation indicator (light and tone)-standard; tactile arrow- standard; tactile crosswalk map-optional.

Relume Ped-head mounted transmitter-standard. Speech message says "Proceed with caution" during walk interval, and "Don't walk" during clearance and don't walk intervals. Requires hand- held receiver.

STN Atlas Speaker mounted near ped-head-standard; WALK tones- standard; automatically variable volume-standard; audible locating signal (ticker)-standard.

Talking Signs Ped-head mounted transmitter-standard. Repeating speech message says "Walk sign" and street name during walk interval, and "Wait" and street name during clearance and don't walk intervals. Volume variable by user. Requires hand-held receiver.

Wilcox Sales Speaker mounted on ped-head-standard; birdcalls- standard; sound volume variable by installer-standard; automatically variable volume-optional. APS PRODUCT SOURCES Compiled by Billie Louise Bentzen, Ph.D. and Lee S. Tabor, AIA

Bob Panich Consultancy Pty. Ltd. 48 Church Street P.O. Box 360 Ryde NSW 2112 Australia Voice: 612 9809 6499 Fax: 612 9809 6962 E-mail: panich@enternet.com.au Website: people.enternet.com.au/~panich Product: Audio Tactile PB

Dick Campbell Company 1486 NW 70th Street Seattle, WA 98117 Voice: (206) 782-1991 Fax: (206) 782-2092 E-mail: dickcampbell@seanet.com Product: Audio Tactile PB

Georgetown Electric, Ltd. 2507 West Second Street Wilmington, DE 19805 Voice: (302) 652-4835 Fax: (302) 652-6447 Product: VIPB

Intersection Development Corporation 9300 East Hall Road Downey, CA 90241 Voice: (800) 733-7872 or (562) 923-9600 Fax: (562) 923-7555 Website: www.idc-traffic.com Product: APS-10

Mallory/North American Capacitor Co. P.O. Box 1284 Indianapolis, IN 46206-1284 Voice: (317) 273-0090 Fax: (317) 273-2400 Product: VSB 110

NOVAX Industries Corporation 658 Derwent Way New Westminster BC V3M 5P8 Canada Voice: (604) 525-5644 Fax: (604) 525-2739 Website: www.novax.com Product: DS-100

Polara Engineering, Inc. 4115 Artesia Avenue Fullerton, CA 92833-2520 Voice: (714) 521-0900 Fax: (714) 522-8001 E-mail: polaraeng@aol.com Product: TPA

Prisma Teknik AB P.O. Box 5, S-543 21 Tibro Sweden Voice: (46) 504 150 40 Fax: (46) 504 141 41 E-mail: info@prismateknik.se Website: www.prismateknik.com Product: Prisma TS

Relume Corporation 64 Park Street Troy, MI 48083 Voice: (248) 585-2640 or (888) 773-5863 Fax: (248) 585-1909

STN Atlas Electronik GmbH Behringstrasse 120 D 22763 Hamburg Germany Voice: (49) 40 88 25 2155 Fax: (49) 40 88 25 4111 Product: AUDIAM

Talking Signs, Inc. 812 North Boulevard Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Voice: (888) 825-5746 or (504) 344-2812 Fax: (504) 344-2811 E-mail: ward@talkingsigns.com

Wilcox Sales Company 1738 Finecroft Drive Claremont, CA 91711-2411 Voice: (909) 624-6674 Fax: (909) 624-8207

Two Pedestrian Access Resolutions passed by the membership of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER)

WHEREAS the Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees the right of access to information to persons with disabilities; and

WHEREAS many signalized intersections provide information to pedestrians with sight which is not provided to pedestrians with visual impairments; and

WHEREAS it has been demonstrated (Crandall, W., Bentzen, B.L., and Myers, L., 1998) that competent, independent, blind pedestrians at unfamiliar signalized intersections may initiate as many or more than 34% of crossings during the clearance or DON'T WALK intervals if those intersections are not equipped with accessible pedestrian signals; and

WHEREAS accessible pedestrian signals have been widely used for more than 10 years in countries including Australia, Japan, Sweden, and the United Kingdom and are considered by traffic engineers to be widely effective not only in providing information to blind pedestrians but also in decreasing general pedestrian delay and facilitating vehicular flow at signalized intersections; and

WHEREAS increasing numbers of quiet vehicles, including electric vehicles and those with quiet internal combustion engines, make acoustic information from vehicles inconsistent, resulting in the inability of pedestrians who are blind to reliably detect the onset of the WALK interval by listening for a surge of vehicles; and

WHEREAS inexpensive technologies exist to make Accessible Pedestrian Signals which are automatically responsive to ambient sound, being very quiet at night and in low traffic situations, while still loud enough to be heard above vehicular sound in high traffic situations; and

WHEREAS accessible vibrotactile and speech transmission signal systems exist which add no noise to the environment; and

WHEREAS the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century provides that "Transportation plans and projects ... shall include the installation, where appropriate, and maintenance of audible traffic signals and audible signs at street crossings";

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, this 12th day of July, 1998, in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, that the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) urges the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and Transport Canada to develop recommended practices for installation of pedestrian signals which make information which is regularly provided to other pedestrians, accessible to pedestrians who are visually impaired, including but not limited to: information specifying WALK and DON'T WALK intervals; information indicating the presence and location of push-buttons; and information unambiguously indicating the street to which the signal applies.

Unanimously approved.

WHEREAS traffic engineers are increasingly utilizing signal systems in which the only safe time to cross signalized intersections is provided in response to pedestrian use of a push button; and

WHEREAS persons who are visually impaired consistently identify location of the push button as a major problem they experience at pedestrian actuated intersections (American Council of the Blind survey, 1998; Uslan, M., 1988; and Tauchi, M., Sawai, H., Takato, J., Yoshiura, T., and Takaeuchi, K., 1998); and

WHEREAS persons who are visually impaired often have insufficient time when pedestrian push buttons are far from associated crosswalks, to actuate push buttons and then prepare to cross before the onset of the WALK interval (American Council of the Blind survey, 1998; San Diego Association of Governments, 1998; Uslan, M., 1988); and

WHEREAS unobtrusive technologies exist for providing information in accessible format, specifying the presence and location of push buttons;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED on this 12th day of July, 1998, in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, that the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) urges the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and Transport Canada to develop standards for push button location technology such as quiet audible locator tones, and to require the placement of newly installed pedestrian pushbuttons in close proximity to the top landing of the curb ramp serving that crossing, within accessible reach range for use from a wheelchair, and near enough to the curb line that persons with visual impairments can actuate the push button and then align and prepare for crossing before the onset of the WALK interval.

Unanimously approved.

WHEREAS the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA- 21) authorizes federal matching funds for the installation of audible traffic signals and audible signs at street crossings; and

WHEREAS the safety of blind pedestrians will be greatly enhanced by the installation of such audible traffic signals and audible signs where appropriate; and

WHEREAS Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates the accessibility of all programs, services and facilities of state and local governments;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Old Dominion Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired in annual convention assembled on this first day of November, 1998, in Arlington, Virginia, that this organization strongly urges the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and other applicable planning and policy making organizations to give a high priority to the installation of audible traffic signals and audible signs throughout the commonwealth; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution be sent promptly to the heads of said organizations.

The following information is from "Take Back Your Streets-How to Protect Communities from Asphalt and Traffic," written by Steve Burrington et al (e-mail: sburrington@clf.org). It was first published in 1995 by the Conservation Law Foundation, Boston, and updated in January 1998 ($10.00; 617-350-0990); the text can be found at http://www.tlcnetwork.org. It was shared on the pednet listserve by Werner (e-mail: Werner.Lohe@state.ma.us).

The likelihood that a pedestrian will be hit increases at higher speeds because a motorist's ability to take in the surrounding environment is more limited. At a speed of 30 miles per hour, a motorist has a field of vision ("peripheral vision angle") spanning approximately 150 degrees, and will fix his or her vision about 1,000 feet ahead. At 60 miles per hour, the motorist's field of vision is reduced by two-thirds to 50 degrees, and the motorist will fix his vision at 2,000 feet. (6)What this means in daily life is that motorists driving at 25 mph or faster have difficulty perceiving that a pedestrian is ready to cross a street, deciding to slow down, and actually doing so. The normal driver usually decides to speed up, assuming that another car will stop. (7)Thus, from the point of view of pedestrian safety, widening a roadway is counter- productive. The probability of a pedestrian being killed (when hit) is 3.5 percent when a vehicle is traveling at 15 miles per hour, but increases more than tenfold to 37 percent at 31 miles per hour, and increases to 83 percent at 44 miles per hour. (8)Pedestrian injuries also increase in severity with vehicle speed. As a 1994 treatise puts it, an injury's severity "depends primarily on the car's speed at impact with the pedestrian." The treatise ranks injuries on a scale of 1 (no injury) to 6 (fatality), and states that, in general, injury severity is 1.5 at 20 miles per hour, 4 at 30 miles per hour, and 6 at speeds greater than 35-40 miles per hour. (9)

6. Limpert, R., Motor Vehicle Accident Reconstruction and Cause Analysis, p. 546 (Charlottesville, VA: Michie Company, 4th ed. 1994).

7. Untermann, Richard, Accommodating the Pedestrian: Adapting Towns and Neighborhoods for Walking and Bicycling, p. 175 (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1984).

8. Limpert, at 66

9. Ibid. at 66

Note: Feel free to modify this letter with your personal circumstances, experiences and thoughts. Send it to local newspapers, radio, and TV stations, etc., and the ACB national office. If your letter is published, please send a copy to the ACB national office, being sure to identify where and when it is published.

You may contact the national office of the American Council of the Blind at:
ACB
1155 15th St. NW
Suite 720
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 467-5081
(800) 424-8666
http://www.acb.org

Pedestrian Safety -- The Cost of Dying without It

It was a kind of pleasant afternoon in the city in which I work. I was wandering up the sidewalk of a fairly busy street toward my destination. Just another day with the cars and trucks rolling along as always. Then I heard the screech of brakes, a woman scream and the thud of her body as she was thrown to the ground. A million thoughts rushed through my head as I stood paralyzed in that moment between disbelief and terror.

I had witnessed the world change from the humdrum safe place where all things flowed easily to the violent chaos of two lives suddenly entangled in a catastrophic moment of hell, never to be the same again. In some ways, it is fortunate that I did not see the accident because of my blindness. My only memory is of that which I heard. Yet to this day, the sound of screeching brakes reminds me of an afternoon I would rather forget. Can this forgetting be enough? Does our skipping over a story in the back of the paper about a pedestrian injured or killed in an accident make it less real? Does an utterance of some glib remark about how there ought to be a law, or how we hope they came out OK or that God should help them, sufficiently resolve things? Certainly not for the woman who was struck, nor for the driver who must now live with the memory, and clearly not for all who have paid the high cost of dying to keep pedestrian safety a laudable social goal, even as it suffers from the neglect of politicians too weak to confront the realities, traffic engineers too distracted by how many vehicles they can move over congested streets in as short a time as possible, and a public feeling too overwhelmed with issues to prioritize it. Is there anything we can do that will make a difference? Yes. Will it cost us a bundle? No. What is it?

Support zoning and building codes that require sidewalks and various detectable cues to remind pedestrians of areas where increased attention indicated. Our benign neglect of these simple precautions literally places pedestrians in harm's way.

Support public investment in accessible pedestrian traffic signals. These devices make a different, reinforcing sound to differentiate "walk" and "don't walk" cycles for many people, such as blind folks, children, and elders who often must walk to reach their destinations. They also give drivers the added security of knowing that the pedestrian is fully aware of when it's OK to walk.

Avoid laughing at, or making, ultimately foolish remarks about getting two points for hitting the old person or similar jokes that reinforce the notion that drivers should benefit at the expense of the pedestrian. That old person could well become the victim of a driver desensitized to the consequences of his or her actions.

Avoid jaywalking and giving any credibility to the fantasy that when a pedestrian fails to properly cross the street at a given point, that they somehow become expendable.

Employ universal design features in new vehicles, such as the electric car, to provide advance warning of their approach, as exemplified by an inoffensive yet discernible sound.

Join with groups such as the American Council of the Blind to demand that traffic engineers take fully into account the needs of both drivers and pedestrians. Now is a particularly good time to move this agenda since Congress has begun to seriously recognize and economically support pedestrian safety with the passage of the new Transportation Equity Act. Section 1202 of TEA-21 adds audible traffic signals and audible signs at street crossings to the list of projects eligible for a federal match -- from 80 to 95%, depending on proximity to public transportation.

In summary, pedestrian safety is more than an abstract ideal. It is protecting our children, our parents and ourselves against needless harm, injury, and death. We all can make the difference. A short call to our local traffic engineering department, encouraging them to make sure pedestrian safety is a top priority, will save lives. Make your call today. Do it for our children, ourselves, and in memory of those who no longer can.

Part I
Information Packet

Comprehensive list of accessible traffic control devices and tactile signage for intersection identification, Resource: Accessible Pedestrian Signals, by Billie Louise Bentzen, Ph.D. and Lee S. Tabor, AIA.

Concise overview outlining the need for accessible intersections, i.e. intersection identification and access to traffic control information.

Anecdotal information outlining the need for accessible intersections with an emphasis on that provided by local residents who are blind and severely visually impaired as well as professionals in the field of orientation and mobility.

References to state laws governing all pedestrians as well as to the state's White Cane Law if there is one. Anecdotal information outlining how these laws are not enforced.

Statements from local law enforcement officers as to the difficulties in enforcing these laws.

Concise statement outlining how ongoing changes in controlling the ever-growing flow of traffic impacts pedestrian access to intersections, especially pedestrians who are blind and severely visually impaired, Resource: The "Modern" Intersection, by Lukas Franck and Janet Barlow.

List of funding sources, especially the newly created TEA-21 funding stream, Resource: TEA-21: A Summary of Accessibility Provisions, by Julie Carroll.

Recruit individuals who are willing to carry out any or all of the following tasks: write letters and informational documents, sign petitions, make telephone calls, visit local and state authorities, testify at hearings and participate in meetings, become part of a delegation attending such hearings and meetings, and coordinate transportation and presentations before state and local authorities.

Make good use of the informational packet, remembering that without a written document requiring a response, the meeting is much less effective.

Learn how the state traffic and safety authority works and become personally acquainted with that entity's leadership. Waste no opportunity to make it clear that you understand that the problems involved with pedestrian and traffic safety are an overwhelming responsibility. Whenever possible, offer solutions and resources that will assist in creating solutions.

Work with the state Motor Vehicle Administration to insure that there are appropriate questions in the driver's test booklet regarding pedestrian rights, especially the rights of those who use the cane or a guide dog.

Make friends in local police departments, presenting the issues in a manner that will make them real to the officers, presenting the case in a manner that will prevent and/or defuse defensive responses.

Make friends with state and local representatives via individuals who live in their districts if possible. Recruite these representatives to assist the delegation to work with all appropriate authorities to implement pedestrian laws and to make intersections identifiable and traffic control signage accessible to individuals who are blind and severely visually impaired.

Be sure to determine whether laws governing pedestrian rights are sufficient as passage of new legislation should be a last resort. Remember that any bill accompanied by a fiscal note makes legislators nervous.

Use the press release especially when there is a positive movement on any of these issues. Assign credit to those who have assisted since public figures, especially politicians, love to see their names in print. When positive publicity is involved, staff assistance will be happily provided to help with the creation and publication of the press release.

Build bridges based on cooperation and compromise, entering the process with a clear vision of core areas on which no compromise can be entertained. Until the contrary is proved, treat every individual as an honorable person in need of education. Bridges can always be burned with fire fueled by demand and outrage should that be necessary. Much is accomplished when your issues become the issues of those with whom you are working and the benefits often bear positive fruit for years.

Good luck!

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE SAFETY OF PEDESTRIANS AND NON-MOTOR VEHICLE TRAVELERS

Be it enacted by the House of Representatives and the Senate and by the authority of the same, that there shall be a new chapter XX in the laws entitled The Pedestrian Safety and Non-Motor Vehicle Travelers Act.

Findings.
The growth of population and resulting urban and suburban sprawl has created: 1) the breaking down of the pedestrian sidewalk and street crossing infrastructure, 2) ever more dangerous intersections for especially visually impaired and elderly persons traveling on foot, and 3) increased difficulty for all pedestrians and non-motor vehicle travelers to make their way to their destinations.

Unless governmental assistance is provided, the pedestrian environment will virtually disappear as a realistic entity due to the failure to construct sidewalks and other pathways, the dangerous use of uncontrolled and inaccessible intersections, and the neglect of maintaining the existing pedestrian infrastructure.

It is therefore necessary to review and improve the existing pedestrian infrastructure and to newly construct pedestrian ways and intersections where required to provide for the safe and efficient travel of pedestrians and those who do not use motor vehicles to commute from one place to another. This task must be accomplished over a period of years. It must utilize a planned approach that prioritizes areas to be improved. Once the cycle of all state political subdivisions has been completed, then a continuing monitoring, maintenance and expansion function will be necessary.

Section 1. Definitions.
All terms in this Act shall have their plain English meanings unless otherwise defined as follows:

The abbreviation "PSC" shall mean the Pedestrian Safety Commission.

The term "Accessible" refers to the ability to have access to and the use of intersections, sidewalks, signaling devices and other constructions and designs encountered in the exercise of being a pedestrian or non-motor vehicle traveler with or without a disability.

The term "accessible signaling" means:

* the placement of pedestrian walk signaling devices next to the crosswalks at all corners of an intersection operable from a wheelchair in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines;

1. which devices shall have a low volume locating tone which can be heard six to twelve feet on approaching the device,

2. which devices shall have tactile and large print color contrasted information as to the direction the signaling will ultimately authorize the pedestrian in which to walk,

3. which device shall allow the user to depress the walk button for longer than three seconds which shall in turn raise the volume of the eventual audible walk signal,

4. which device shall provide a different vibration to those relying upon tactile communication to know when it is safe to walk, and

5. which device shall in association with the corresponding device across the street, alternate the sounds made for the pedestrian crossing to allow the pedestrian to know where the crossing leads.

6. The term "pedestrian" defines a person either walking or using another means of conveyance which is not a motor vehicle.

Section 2. Pedestrian Safety Commission and authority and duties.
Within 180 days of the enactment of this legislation, the Governor shall appoint a Pedestrian Safety Commission, hereinafter referred to as the PSC, which shall:

A) oversee the proper planning and construction and maintenance of existing and new pedestrian walks and traffic intersections within all the political subdivisions of the state, ensuring compliance with all pedestrian provisions of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century and applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

B) Receive and approve whether in whole or in part or as modified; comprehensive pedestrian safety plans from the political subdivisions of the state, which plans shall be due within one year of a request from the PSC and shall contain at a minimum:

1. a full analysis of the street and road grid of the covered area,

2. a comparative analysis of traffic volume at intersections located near commercial, public transport terminal, school, church and other community areas where pedestrians would likely to be crossing if sidewalk and signaling infrastructures were to be improved,

3. an analysis of those intersections where traffic volume or intersection configuration rises to the point where pedestrians cannot cross without walk signaling and other improvements,

4. a mobility analysis of how persons living within the area could reasonably walk or bicycle or use public transportation to safely and efficiently reach all other parts of the covered street and road grid,

5. a cost analysis of what improvements would be needed to equip existing intersections in descending order of priority with accessible signaling, the installation of sidewalks and bicycle pathing, including ADA compliant curb cuts, spreading back from prioritized intersections and the cost of overall maintenance of the infrastructure once completed.

C. Receive and expend appropriate sums of federal and state highway funding or revenues collected from fines of traffic violations to assist the political subdivisions in funding allowed plans of improvement and maintenance, and provided further that such political subdivisions shall develop their own plans for addressing maintenance cost three years after completion of each segment of the approved plan.

D. Order the reconfiguration or redesign of intersections where the pedestrian safety is deemed to both be at too high a risk, and there are no safe and efficient alternative routes within a short distance of the unsafe intersection.

Section 3. Composition and human resource support. A. The PSC shall have seven Commissioners of which one shall be a traffic engineer, another a representative of the elderly community expert in their pedestrian needs, another a representative of the blindness community expert in the mobility techniques used by members of that community and accessible intersection design and signage, another representative of pedestrians who use wheelchairs," another representative of the state Department of administration and Finance expert in ways and means of properly financing project operations, another representative of the bicycling community expert in the needs of non-vehicular travelers, another a high official in the state public safety law enforcement expert in community policing of traffic and pedestrian issues, and another a representative of parents with school age children expert in the pedestrian and bicycling needs of the children.

B. The Commissioners shall be appointed in staggered one, two and three year appointments which may be repeated only once over the course of ten years. The Commissioners shall not receive a salary or other compensation for the exercise of their duties beyond the normal costs of travel and other incidentals to the performance of their work.

C. The Commission shall elect its own Chair to serve on a yearly basis and shall promulgate its own rules of procedure to accomplish its mission.

D. The Commission is authorized to employ a Director and sufficient staff to properly support and accomplish the mission of the Commission at levels of competitive compensation for the ranges of expertise necessary to carry out the mission of the PSC.