The National Academies Press

Currently Skimming:

Pages 167-202

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.

From page 167... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 167 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies CHAPTER SUMMARY Th e information in this chapter is based on data obtained in 2003 and 2005 through site visits or communication with each agency featured. Read the entire page →
From page 168... ... 168 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies Case Study: Montgomery County, Maryland DATE: MAY 2003 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND Th e intersection of Fenton Street and Wayne Avenue is the ﬁ rst of eleven locations in the Silver Spring Central Business District (CBD) Read the entire page →
From page 169... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 169 APS TYPE AND FEATURES Pushbutton-integrated devices from Polara Engineering. Intersection is pre-timed, with WALK intervals associated with each crossing being provided each cycle, but the APS are actuated (audible and vibrotactile WALK indications are not provided unless the pushbutton is pushed) Read the entire page →
From page 170... ... 170 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies installed in an exterior box attached to the top of the pedestrian traﬃ c signal heads. Read the entire page →
From page 171... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 171 Case study: Portland, Oregon DATE: JULY 2003 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND Th e City of Portland has had some form of audible pedestrian signal for over 20 years. In installing these devices, staﬀ worked closely with the requester to identify speciﬁ c needs. Read the entire page →
From page 172... ... 172 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies Key points of that policy: • Audible signals are installed only on a request basis. Read the entire page →
From page 173... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 173 Pushbutton-integrated devices, manufactured by Polara Engineering and Campbell Company, have been installed recently with locator tones and additional features. Th e City of Portland has also evaluated the Vibrawalk pushbutton manufactured by Novax Industries. Read the entire page →
From page 174... ... 174 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies pedestrians to go, but quiet enough to not give a false "WALK" cue to someone at a conﬂ icting ped lane. Read the entire page →
From page 175... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 175 Case study: Newton, Massachusetts DATE: JULY 2003 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND APS were installed at the major intersection in Newton, Massachusetts in 2001, as part of a major signalization upgrade project, and at the recommendation of the Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities (Mayor's Committee) Read the entire page →
From page 176... ... 176 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies DESCRIPTION OF INTERSECTION Th e APS were installed at a complex intersection with high pedestrian and vehicular traﬃ c counts. Read the entire page →
From page 177... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 177 Although the basic requirement in Newton for conduit in public rights-ofway is a 36" trench, actual construction may be less than 36" depending on site conditions. It is important that such an installation be based on direct ﬁ eld knowledge, rather than be designed in the shop. Read the entire page →
From page 178... ... 178 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies Case study: New Jersey DOT -- Washington, New Jersey DATE: JULY 2003 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND Th e New Jersey Department of Transportation has been sensitive to the needs of the visually impaired. Read the entire page →
From page 179... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 179 DESCRIPTION OF INTERSECTION Route 31 and Route 57, major intersection of four-lane undivided road and two and three lane road with parking lane at the edge of small downtown CBD. Th ere are four traﬃ c islands with signalized crossings to the islands. Read the entire page →
From page 180... ... 180 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies INSTALLATION ISSUES No major installation issues MAINTENANCE Th ere have been no reported maintenance problems except the vibrating arrows on a couple of devices have gotten stuck and stopped vibrating. Read the entire page →
From page 181... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 181 Case study: West Virginia Division of Highways -- Morgantown, West Virginia DATE: JULY 2003 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND APS were installed in 2002, at the request of blind citizens. Th ese are the ﬁ rst APS that have been installed in the state. Read the entire page →
From page 182... ... 182 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies Signals are being modiﬁ ed to include pushbutton information messages modeled after "Wait to cross Willey St. Read the entire page →
From page 183... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 183 To date, APS have been installed at six intersections in West Virginia. At one intersection in downtown Charleston, in a high vandalism area, three APS have been knocked oﬀ the signal upright. Read the entire page →
From page 184... ... 184 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies Case study: Dunedin, Florida DATE: JULY 2003 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND Th ere are two intersections in downtown and one at Patricia Avenue and Beltrees in Dunedin where APS have been installed at the request of citizens who are blind. Read the entire page →
From page 185... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 185 • Speech WALK message: o At Douglas and Main (with exclusive pedestrian phasing) : "WALK sign is on" o At Broadway & Main: "WALK sign is on to cross Main" or "WALK sign is on to cross Broadway" • Vibrotactile WALK indication • Pushbutton locator tone • Actuation indicator – tone • Tactile arrow • Automatic Volume Adjustment in response to ambient sound • Extended button press – increased the volume of the WALK indication and locator tone APS INSTALLATION Two APS were mounted on each pole. Read the entire page →
From page 186... ... 186 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies Th e woman who requested the installation was initially unhappy with some parts of the installation. Read the entire page →
From page 187... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 187 Case study: Maryland DOT DATE: JULY 2003 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND During the 1980's and 90's, Maryland installed some APS of the cuckoo/chirp type at locations throughout the state, including Montgomery County, Frostburg, Lutherville, and Towson. Maryland DOT, in response to concerns about mobility for persons who are visually impaired through unique intersections, such as roundabouts, and the addition of the APS section to the MUTCD, convened a committee in November 2000 to develop criteria for installation and prioritization plans for installation of APS. Read the entire page →
From page 188... ... 188 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies TYPE OF APS USED Pushbutton-integrated APS manufactured by Polara Engineering APS features: • Speech WALK message, with option of cuckoo/chirp if desired for speciﬁ c location • Vibrotactile WALK indication • Pushbutton locator tone • Tactile arrow • Actuation indicator • Pushbutton information message in response to extended button press • Automatic volume adjustment in response to ambient noise levels Maryland is also testing and evaluating equipment from other manufacturers. Read the entire page →
From page 189... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 189 DESCRIPTION OF INTERSECTION Installation Example 2, Loch Raven and Glen Keith, is an intersection with low side street volumes. Th e APS is to cross the major street (Loch Raven) Read the entire page →
From page 190... ... 190 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies MAINTENANCE Th ere have been some failures of the control boards, but these may not be excessive when considering that the equipment is a new and relatively recent design and the growing pains associated with new technology. Read the entire page →
From page 191... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 191 Case Study: Charlotte, North Carolina DATE: JULY 2003 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND Charlotte began installing pushbutton-integrated APS in 1999 after discussion with the Charlotte/ Mecklenburg Advocacy Council of People with Disabilities Committee. Approximately twelve intersections with forty-two pushbutton-integrated APS devices are now installed. Read the entire page →
From page 192... ... 192 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies APS features (pushbutton-integrated device installations) Read the entire page →
From page 193... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 193 EVALUATION Th e Public Service Department has no complaints regarding the devices. However, staﬀ of Metrolina Association for the Blind received some complaints about the noise level of the locator tones, especially in residential areas. Read the entire page →
From page 194... ... 194 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies Case Study: Atlanta, Georgia DATE: MAY 2003 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND Atlanta has installed APS upon speciﬁ c request since 1992. Read the entire page →
From page 195... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 195 DATE INSTALLED 1992 to present INSTALLATION ISSUES Pedhead-mounted devices are simple to wire and install on the pole or on the pedhead. Signal shop found the pushbutton-integrated device to be very diﬃ cult to install, requiring additional wiring and careful adjustment. Read the entire page →
From page 196... ... 196 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies Case Study: Halifax, Nova Scotia DATE: APRIL 2005 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND Halifax has been using pedhead-mounted APS since 1998. Read the entire page →
From page 197... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 197 INSTALLATION ISSUES Th e APS speaker is mounted on top of the pedestrian head and faces across the street. A typical conﬁ guration for a crossing in Halifax involves two APS speakers, one at each end of the crossing. Read the entire page →
From page 198... ... 198 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies Th ey usually last from 5 to 10 years. Read the entire page →
From page 199... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 199 Case Study: Waukesha, Wisconsin DATE: APRIL 2005 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND Waukesha has been using pushbutton-integrated APS with speech messages since 2002. Prior to that, they used overhead speaker units which provided a cuckoo or chirp, but were not activated by pushbutton. Read the entire page →
From page 200... ... 200 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies INSTALLATION ISSUES Installation of the devices is done by city staﬀ . Read the entire page →
From page 201... ... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 201 Case Study: Ann Arbor, Michigan DATE: APRIL 2005 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND Ann Arbor has been using pushbutton-integrated APS since 2001. Five were installed that year and none have been added since. Read the entire page →
From page 202... ... 202 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies MAINTENANCE Many of the APS units began to malfunction in 2004 and the city sent them back to the manufacturer for repair/replacement. Read the entire page →

From page 167...

... Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practice 167 Chapter 9: U.S. Case Studies CHAPTER SUMMARY Th e information in this chapter is based on data obtained in 2003 and 2005 through site visits or communication with each agency featured.