index previous comment next comment

I am writing to express my hope that strong regulatory mandates for detectable warning strips and accessible pedestrian signals will be maintained within the country's accessibility guidelines.

I am 34 years old and totally blind. I travel with a trained dog guide, and I use a white cane on occasion. I have been traveling independently since my high school days, and I would say that I'm generally a superb independent traveler, especially as I travel extensively across the Western and Central U.S. for my job as a management analyst with a major private transportation company. (I would add that my travel skills are only important in so much that many critics of detectable warning strips and APS falsely assert that these technologies are geared for weak and/or unconfident travelers. I'm neither weak or unconfident in my traveling, and I strongly support both technologies.)

First, I want to state why I support the maintenance of strong regulatory support for APS. Where I live, and in most places where I travel, APS are not available, and for the most part, this is not a problem. However, there are specific intersections (especially complex intersections with complex and/or congested travel) where I cannot cross safely because I cannot hear the traffic flow, and not being able to hear traffic flow, I am unable to determine the signal cycle, nor am I able to hear the cues for my turn to cross. Further, I have personally advocated for an APS at an intersection in Union City, CA, where the reverse was true. The intersection was a mid-block crossing between a shopping area and a transit facility. This intersection was dangerous, not because of the traffic volume, but because of the lack of traffic. The signal would change, and I would be unable to determine if it was my turn to cross. If I guessed wrong, I would be at risk from a car traveling fast and with its right of way.

APS do not protect me as a blind person from unsafe drivers or aggressive drivers. What they do is to clearly and unequivocally inform me as to when it's my turn to cross. At that point, I'm better able to use my good training and experience to determine the best moment to begin my crossing. In many cases, I can determine this now, but there are other instances where I cannot do this. Moreover, I would add that a newer blind traveler and/or someone with less travel skills might need this sort of assistance more frequently and at different intersections than do I. I would add that APS are a matter of fairness. They're the equivalent of "Walk" signs for people who are unable to read the ones which display visually.

I would like to turn to detectable warning strips. Let me begin by saying that in 1992, I was traveling in San Francisco, CA, where I lived at the time. One evening, I went into the Van Ness Avenue Muni Light Rail Station at about 5 pm in order to get to my home out in the Stonestown area of the City. (This was a station I used all the time, and both I and my guide dog were very familiar with its design, noise and crowds.) When I got to the platform, the place was mobbed, especially toward the middle of the platform, between the east and westbound trackways. I waited for my train to come, and shortly, it did. My train stopped well down the platform from where I stood, so I had to walk along the platform edge to reach it, especially because of the mob of standing people taking up virtually the entire inner portion of the platform. (This is something I did virtually every day. I didn't like it, but it was a necessity of using this system.) My dog and I began to walk toward the train and our car. At some point, my dog veered toward the edge to get around a crowd of people. Then, he stopped very short and very suddenly. Being a relatively large individual, I couldn't stop as quickly. That's when I lost my balance on the edge and stepped out into empty space, space which was between two cars of the westbound train I was trying to board. Imagine my fear as I fell the short four and a half feet. I wasn't afraid of the ground as Muni's electrical supply is overhead. Rather, I was afraid of the fact that the only train operator was one or two cars in front of me and probably could not see me as I fell. If the train moved, I would be dead.

Obviously, this did not happen because I'm typing this letter. Let me contrast this example with BART (the Bay Area's other system). BART has had detectable warning strips for a long time. When I'm working in BART stations (something which I still do when I'm traveling in Northern CA), I treat the two-foot warning strip as my platform edge, so I'm never at risk of falling, no matter how crowded the platform becomes and no matter how distracted I or my dog might become. If I feel that tile under my feet, I know I'm in a danger zone, and I can act accordingly. Without it, my only point of reference is the edge, and on the other side of that edge is a five foot drop, a concrete track bed and an electrified third rail, unless there's a train pulling into the station at a respectable 36 MPH, in which case, it wouldn't matter anyway. (I would like to add that since 1992, MUNI has installed detectable warning strips, and today, I can use the system with much greater confidence and safety. In fact, Muni is now one of the most accessible systems of its kind of which I'm aware.)

Mr. Windley, there may be opponents of these technologies who feel that their travel skills and training make them impervious to the risk of injury or death. I have no such misconception. Despite my training and experience, I'm human. This means that I can and will, from time to time, make errors in judgment or become distracted when I'm walking. Further, I think it's society's responsibility to plan itself for the average and perhaps even the weakest traveler. Further, what's the difference between a two-foot strip of yellow rubber tile and a sign warning motorists of an approaching hazard? For me, there is no difference at all. Detectable warnings are a matter of access.

I haven't even discussed the importance of detectable warnings in areas where vehicular traffic and pedestrians share the same space. But I support them in these instances as well. In fact, this application might even be more compelling. If there's an area where I need to travel and/or wait, and if that area has vehicular traffic ways adjacent to it, and if there's no detectable change in texture or grade between where I'm supposed to be and where the vehicles are supposed to be, then how else am I going to know that I'm in a safe area? To be blunt, there is no other way at all, regardless of ability, training or experience. For me, this is an absolute no-brainer.

In closing, I want to reassert my support for the Access Board and for strong regulations in support of detectable warning strips and APS. These technologies represent equal access, and they are critical components of a safe pedestrian environment for people who are unable to be completely safe without them. Thanks for reading, and if you have need of further information, please do not hesitate to contact me [ ...].

Sincerely Yours,

Ron L. Brooks