Accessible Pedestrian Signals: Effects on Safety and Independence of Pedestrians Who Are Blind
Source: Transportation Research Board
"Pedestrians who are blind or visually impaired often cross at unfamiliar signalized intersections. This paper reports the results of research on street crossings by these pedestrians at complex intersections, before and after the installation of accessible pedestrian signals (APS). Objective data on measures of street crossing performance by sixteen participants who were blind was obtained at two intersections. The analysis includes broad measures of crossing timing, orientation, and independence. After installation of APS, delay in beginning crossing was reduced by approximately 2 seconds. Post-installation, there was significant improvement in beginning to cross during WALK, completing crossings before the onset of perpendicular traffic, locating the crosswalk, aligning to cross, and in independence, at pedestrian-actuated crossings."
