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