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To Access Board Members:

I write to comment on the proposed adaptive informational sources at intersections or Audible traffic signals. I find that the ideas proposed in this project are way out of line for any reasonable person for various reasons. The beeping tones at every intersection to tell blind persons when to cross a street are not needed and will be too noisy and confusing if installed that close together since sound travels. The idea of additional tones to locate the corner before crossing seem even more unneeded and very confusing. The cost to install such a saturation of signals in any one city would run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and to put such Audible signals on every street corner with a walk signal in this country would cost in the billions of dollars or even trillions of dollars; and that is a poor use of our tax dollars; especially considering the needs for National Security and Military defense of our nation.

As a blind citizen of this country I have learned to listen to traffic and cross streets safely each day as I go about my normal life and find little use for these Audible signals. Where I encounter an audible traffic signal regularly near my work place I always listen to the traffic as well as the signal; because motorized vehicles have a tendency or temptation to run red lights any where or everywhere and if I don't take the time to listen before crossing any street, with or without an audible signal I am asking for an accident that could be avoided by careful attention to what is happening when I wish to cross any street. Thus my suggestion in terms of helping blind persons cross streets safely is to spend the intended billions of dollars on proper training for every blind person so they can cross streets safely every time they need to travel. Just because I am blind doesn't limit my ability to think and to pay attention to clues in the environment of traffic or other sounds in any given situation including crossing streets.

As for the idea of giving information about what intersection one is standing at and what direction a person might be facing related to names of each street one would need a global positioning system to gain that information; and in that case the information broadcast in a regular manner from too many points, all four corners of any given intersection will be too confusing to everyone listening, blind or sighted persons waiting to cross a street. If the information about physical location related to any given intersection is desired by myself or someone else in light of the technology of global positioning systems; let each person carry a devise for seeking such information; like a walkman or a cell phone and have the information available remain silent unless someone, blind or sighted activates it by the device, a radio frequency or a cell phone number and only that person will hear the information given through a headset. Thus there is less noise pollution at each street crossing; and everyone will be safer being able to hear information that is needed for any unexpected emergency that occurs at random.

As for the idea of crossing guidelines tactile warnings at curbs or
platforms: they might be needed in some cases of blended levels and if they are designed in the landscape as aregular part of an area could benefit everyone. If such guidelines are added to an area as an afterthought in response to this proposed rule such tactile lines may be unnecessary and cause more problems than they solve; not to mention their prohibitive cost.

Thus, the ideas in this entire proposal need a lot more study and reconsideration before acted upon as a requirement for building any new street crossing or modifying any existing street crossings anywhere.

Sincerely:

Mary Helen Scheiber