Nanette Nickerson

October 28, 2002

To whom it may concern,

I am a registered voter in Marin County and I am in favor of legislation promoting audible cross-walk signals for lighted intersections. As a dog guide instructor I have had the opportunity to observe the usefulness of these devices. As traffic has become more congested, intersections have gotten more complicated and some car engines have been made to be very quiet, the challenge of determining a safe and appropriate time to cross the street has become more difficult for many blind and visually impaired individuals. It is one thing to negotiate a complicated intersection when you are familiar with it and understand how the traffic patterns work. Factors such as free flowing right turn lanes and timing of left turn right of way need to be considered. Do the left turners go before or after traffic continuing straight ahead, are they allowed to turn left on any green as long as they yield to oncoming traffic? Many capable vision impaired pedestrians would have the skills to figure out the answers to these questions by standing through a couple of traffic cycles and observing the patterns. I know that if I was negotiating an unfamiliar area I would probably have more pressing things to concentrate on like getting to where I was going. Any prudent pedestrian crossing the street, sighted or not is wise to make sure that it is safe to step into the street when the cross walk indicator signals right of way.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter,

Nanette Nickerson