I am an educator of blind children. I am also a student of Orientation and
Mobility. I do not agree with the proposals for audible traffic signals or
with the detectable warnings as proposed by the board. In my experience of
some 30 years I have found that without the clear indication of auditory input
from the traffic flow the blind pedestrian has difficulty knowing when it is
safe to cross an intersection. It is naive to think that just because a person
knows when the walk signal has turned on that it is safe to cross. I have a
five year old grandson. I and his mother have taught him that he must stop,
look and listen at all times even if the signal is green and it indicates a
walk signal. When additional sounds are introduced into the environment the
ability to stop and listen is hampered for the blind person. This makes for a
more unsafe environment for crossing the intersection. The walk sign gives a
false sense of security to the sighted person who must look and observe the
traffic flow before crossing. This is no different for the blind person.
However, if you take away the feature of being able to listen in an effective
manner then we are making the crossing more unsafe. I am amazed at the
inability of sensible individuals to understand this basic concept. If the
time comes that the board can guarantee that every driver will obay traffic
signals and drive in a safe legal manner at all times then maybe pedestrians
can only depend on the walk signal.
 

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