APS Online Workshop: Overview This section of the website presents an online, self-paced version of the Accessible Pedestrian Signals Workshop. This workshop was conducted in person at various cities around the U.S. from 2008 to 2013 with funding from NCHRP Project 3-62. The in-person workshop was a full day (6 hours) of training. In order to continue the dissemination of the guidance developed under NCHRP Project 3-62, the workshop has been converted to an online format and presented here on this website. The format of this online workshop is similar to that of a PowerPoint presentation. Each module consists of a set of slides with accompanying text. This text presents the content of what the instructors would typically say for each slide during the in-person workshop. It also serves as descriptive text to be used by screenreaders or other accessibility tools for those with blindness or low vision. Slide: 1 Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) and Accessible Public Rights-of-Way In this module, we'll provide an overview of new types of accessible pedestrian signals and regulations related to public rights-of-way. The modules correlate to various chapters in the APS Guide; this module covers some of the material in Chapter 1. The chapter provides more information and detail on these issues. Also, we'll go into greater detail in later modules about some of the issues we cover briefly here and in the first chapter of the guide Slide: 2 APS definitions First, we want to review the definition of APS to be sure we all are talking about the same thing when we say Accessible Pedestrian Signal. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) will be referred to throughout this course. The MUTCD definition of accessible pedestrian signal is “a device that communicates information about pedestrian signal timing in non-visual format such as audible tones, speech messages, and/or vibrating surfaces”. The language in MUTCD Part 4 now requires both audible and vibrotactile walk indications. Another document we'll discuss today is the Proposed Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way or Proposed PROWAG. The latest version was published by the US Access Board in 2011. These are guidelines on how to meet requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Slide: 3 Other terms for APS Some terms used in other countries or in the past in the US include acoustic signals, audio-tactile signals, audible pedestrian signals, audible traffic signals, audible pedestrian traffic signals and audible crossing indications. Accessible pedestrian signals is more accurate to describe devices we'll be talking about today. We will use the term APS, as singular and plural, for accessible pedestrian signals in this course. Slide: 4 APS can provide information about New types of APS have different features that provide additional information that is not provided by the cuckoo-chirp signals that have been used in the past in the US. Information about the existence of and location of the pushbutton is provided by a pushbutton locator tone, while the walk interval information is provided by tone or speech message, as well as vibration of a surface on the device. APS can also provide directional information with a tactile arrow, the pushbutton locator tone on the destination curb, or audible beaconing in some situations. Other information is provided by braille or tactile map or a pushbutton information message. We'll talk a lot more about each of these features later in the course. Slide: 5 Benefits of APS APS have benefits, even for sighted pedestrians. Sighted pedestrians have been found to start crossing more quickly and more uniformly where an APS is provided. English research (Wilson, 1980) found more consistent start with 20% reduction in starting delay when there was an audible walk indication. For blind pedestrians, results are more dramatic. They made more accurate judgments of onset of walk interval. There was a reduction in number of crossings begun during DON'T WALK and reduced delay in beginning to cross when the signal changed, resulting in significantly more crossings completed before signal changed. I think we can all agree it's desirable to have blind pedestrians out of the street before the cross traffic begins moving. Results for blind pedestrians in the US were found as part of this project and other recent research projects. Slide: 6 Changes in Acceptance In the past few years there has been a change in acceptance of APS. Changes in intersection design and signalization have made it more difficult to use hearing and traffic sounds alone to decide when to begin crossing. This has resulted, at least in some areas, in more requests for APS. Also there have been developments in the technology of APS and changes in legislation related to accessibility for people with disabilities Slide: 7 Changes in acceptance - consumer groups There has also been a change in the acceptance among organized groups of people who are blind, although those groups only represent about 50,000 of the 8 – 10 million individuals who are visually impaired in the US. In the past, some traffic engineers have been caught in the middle of two consumer groups, American Council of the Blind and National Federation of the Blind. The American Council of the blind has been and is in favor of APS at all intersections with pedestrian signals. The National Federation of the Blind is still opposed to what they call “the wholesale installation” of APS, but have recognized that APS may be needed in some locations. In their comments on the draft public rights-of-way guidelines, they listed a number of possible situations where APS need might be evaluated, including streets of more than 4 lanes, protected left turn intervals, T intersections or locations with islands, intersections with limited traffic, actuated intersections, or where the speed limit of traffic on at least one street is greater than 45 miles per hour. Many intersections meet at least some of those conditions, so there is somewhat more advocacy for APS among individuals who are blind. Slide: 8 APS Installed in US The APS first mass marketed in the 1970s were cuckoo-cheep signals that were mounted on the pedestrian signal head, usually called pedhead-mounted audible signals. The overhead speaker was aimed across the street and sounded during the walk interval only. These signals were typically adjusted to be quite loud and complaints about noise led to controversy over their use. Many blind people felt they interfered with their ability to hear traffic. Also there were philosophical concerns that irritation with the sounds resulted in negative attitudes about people who are blind. The photo on the screen shows a speaker mounted on top of the visual pedestrian signal head. Slide: 9 Pedhead-mounted APS As traditionally installed in US Here are examples of the type of cuckoo/chirp signals that were installed in the U.S. Sounds are attached to the photos. If you click on the photo, it will play the cuckoo and cheep sounds. Note the sign over the pedestrian signals; pedestrians who were blind were unable to read that sign telling them that they needed to push the button. Slide: 10 Newer APS available New types of APS, called pushbutton-integrated APS, became available in the US in the 1990's. These are like the APS that have been installed for years in Europe and Australia and provide quieter sounds from speakers located at the pushbutton rather than from overhead speakers. They also provide a vibrotactile walk indication (in addition to audible walk indication), have a pushbutton locator tone, a tactile arrow, and automatic volume adjustment. We will talk later in detail about these various features. Slide: 11 Examples of pushbutton-integrated APS Here are some examples of pushbutton-integrated APS. Sounds are attached to these photos; click on the photo to play the sounds. You'll hear a pushbutton locator tone, followed by the audible walk indication, then the pushbutton locator tone again. Any manufacturer's device can be programmed to provide either tones or speech messages. Slide: 12 Installation recommendations Location is key For pushbutton-integrated devices, which are relatively quiet, installation close to the crosswalk departure location is essential enable people to use them effectively. We'll talk abut this more later, but here's a graphic example, showing the recommended location of APS in relation to the crosswalks. The pushbutton and APS speaker are right at the top of the curb ramp, next to the level landing. The MUTCD states that the APS should be between the landing of the curb ramp and the crosswalk line furthest from the center of the intersection, and separated by more than 10 feet from other APS on the corner. The MUTCD further states that APS should be within 6 feet of the curb. Slide: 13 U.S. Legislation, Guidelines and Standards Applicable to APS In discussing APS, we will talk about requirements of some US legislation and guidelines and standards that apply to APS. These include the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, known as TEA-21, and now replaced by TEA-LU and soon replaced by the next transportation act. However, TEA-21 contained some specific language that resulted in some policy statements that we'll review. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, (referred to as the MUTCD) has specific sections on APS. Another standard is Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act which led to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the ADA, and the guidelines that are published in conjunction with the ADA. Slide: 14 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) TEA-21 had specific reference to audible signals. Section 1202 (g)(2) states that new transportation plans and projects for pedestrian safety “…shall include the installation, where appropriate, and maintenance of audible traffic signals and audible signs at street crossings.” A Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) policy statement developed as a result of TEA-21 particularly referred to providing sidewalks and crossings that allow people with disabilities to travel safely and independently. It requires sidewalks and crossings to be “designed, constructed, operated and maintained so that all pedestrians, including people with disabilities, can travel safely and independently” Slide: 15 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Most of you are familiar with the MUTCD. It is published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to provide national standards for traffic control devices. In the 2009 edition, the section on Traffic Control Signal Features, section 4D.03, requires that the design and operation of traffic control signals shall take into consideration the needs of pedestrian as well as vehicular traffic. Slide: 16 Revisions to the MUTCD The revisions to the MUTCD, in 2009 made a number of changes to specifications for APS. Basically the changes in specifications call for APS that are integrated into the pushbutton. Both audible and vibrotactile indications are required In addition, the standard walk indication is supposed to be a rapid tick, with speech walk messages used only in specific situations, where the two pushbuttons can't be separated on a corner. We'll talk more about the details of the specifications later in the course. Note that the MUTCD doesn't have specific compliance dates on APS. APS that meet the new specifications are required when installing new devices and when replacing current devices Slide: 17 MUTCD 2009 – Five sections specifically on APS There are five sections of the MUTCD on APS and APS detectors, describing requirements for pushbutton-integrated APS and detectors. They are sections 4E.09 – 4E.13. 4E.09 is titled “General” and has guidance regarding when to install APS and some general specifications. 4E.10 specifies location of the APS devices in relation to the crosswalk and curb ramp. 4E.11 addresses Walk indications and 4E. 12 discusses tactile arrows and locator tones. 4E. 13 describes extended pushbutton press features. We'll go through all these requirements in detail as we go through the rest of this course. Slide: 18 MUTCD 2009 Let me just quickly go through the required APS features in the 2009 MUTCD. They include a pushbutton locator tone, tactile arrow, audible walk indication and a vibrotactile walk indication. The audible walk indication is specified as a percussive tone; an arrow on the pushbutton vibrates to provide the vibrotactile walk indication. The location of APS pushbuttons is specified. They should be as close as possible to the crosswalk line furthest from the center of the intersection and as close as possible to the curb ramp. In addition, there is new specific guidance for location of all pushbuttons (pedestrian detectors) in 4E.08 Slide: 19 Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Another document that is relevant to our discussion of APS installation is Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Many traffic engineers are not familiar with this law but the requirements for curb ramps and accessibility features in public rights-of-way actually date back to this document. Section 504 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in both programs and activities receiving Federal financial assistance. This act was also where entities were first required to develop a transition plan to prioritize the installation of accessibility features such as curb ramps. Slide: 20 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) You may be more familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 than with Section 504. It's important to remember and recognize that the ADA is a civil rights law,. Enforcement is somewhat different from other regulations and standards that you may be familiar with. It specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. There are five sections of the Act. Title l addresses employment, while Title II is focused on state and local government services . Title III is the section on public accommodations and commercial facilities (stores, buildings open to the public, other privately owned facilities, if they are open to the public). Title IV addresses telecommunications, setting up things like relay services for individuals who are deaf. Title V directs Access Board to develop minimum technical provisions and covers some other miscellaneous issues. We'll mainly be talking today about Title II responsibilities, since we're focusing on state and local government services. Unlike the Rehab Act requirements, the ADA applies to all programs and facilities, regardless of funding source. Slide: 21 ADA and Public Rights-of-Way Development of Standards The Access Board develops accessibility guidelines which are the minimum technical provisions for access. The Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines, often referred to as ADAAG, were first published in 1991. Those guidelines were adopted as a final rule (enforceable standard) by the Department of Justice and Department of Transportation in 1992. However, the section on public rights-of-way, originally Section 14 of ADAAG, was not adopted as a final rule at that time. The standards adopted were basically standards for buildings and other facilities. ADAAG has just been updated, in 2010, but the public rights-of-way section has not yet been published as final. Slide: 22 ADA and Public Rights-of-Way Development of Standards Just a quick review of the status of the section on pubic rights-of-way. The Access Board chartered the Public Rights-of-Way Access Advisory Committee (PROWAAC) in 1999 to develop recommendations for public rights-of-way. That committee was made up of individuals with disabilities, advocates for individuals with disabilities, and traffic engineers, planners, and public works officials representing cities, state departments of transportation and professional organizations. That committee published its recommendations in a report completed in 2001, Building a True Community. Then the Access Board took PROWAAC recommendations and developed Draft Public Rights-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (Draft PROWAG). Slide: 23 ADA and Public Rights-of-Way Development of Standards And here are the next steps in the process of developing the standards for the public rights-of-way. The Access Board published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on July 26, 2011 and solicited and analyzed comments. They will then finalize the guidelines. At that point the Department of Justice and Department of Transportation will consider the guidelines and take steps to adopt those as a final rule (enforceable standard). Slide: 24 MEANWHILE…. Meanwhile though, even without finalized standards specifically for public rights-of-way, the ADA implementing regulations require programs of state and local governments to be accessible. And, based on the settlement of Barden vs Sacramento in 2004, sidewalks and street crossings are considered a program of state and local governments. We'll review some specific language from those implementing regulations, courtesy of the Access Board. Slide: 25 ADA Title II: State and Local Government Services Here's a section taken directly from the implementing guidelines of ADA. In Subpart D on program accessibility, 35.151 on new construction and alterations states: “Each facility…constructed by, on behalf of, or for the use of a public entity shall be designed and constructed in such manner that the facility …is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities…” Slide: 26 ““Readily accessible to and usable by” means: The regulations go on to explain what is meant by ‘readily accessible to and usable by' : “...that it can be approached, entered, and used by individuals with disabilities (including mobility, sensory, and cognitive impairments) easily and conveniently” And they also state that if a particular type of facility is not addressed by the standards , the above language , “that it can used by individuals with disabilities (including mobility, sensory, and cognitive impairments) easily and conveniently” is the safest guide. So even if there aren't specific standards, all new construction and alterations are supposed to be accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities. Slide: 27 ADA Title II: State and Local Government Services Another section of the implementing regulations , Subpart E on Communications , section 35.160, can also be read as applying to signs and signals. It reads: “A public entity shall take appropriate steps to ensure that communications with.…members of the public with disabilities are as effective as communications with others.” Signs and signals can certainly be seen as a form of communication with the public and this section has been used in ADA complaints regarding the need for accessible signals. Slide: 28 Bottom line So the bottom line at this point is that the ADA requires newly constructed facilities to be accessible even if specific standards are not finalized. Remember that ADA compliance is a civil rights issue enforced as other civil rights issues are enforced, through complaints by individuals who feel their rights have been violated. You should be aware that using the MUTCD guidance related to installation or following the MUTCD standards may not prevent an ADA complaint from being filed and may not be adequate defense if one is filed. Jurisdictions particularly need to respond to concerns of pedestrians with disabilities. It's best to have some process set up for that. In a 2006 memo, Federal Highway Administration encourages use of the draft PROWAG as best practice. Slide: 29 Available guidance materials – Access Board A number of resources are available. We'll be talking about many of them during this course, but the titles and web addresses are provided on this slide and the following slide so you can easily locate them later. They include the Proposed Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way (which we'll refer to as proposed PROWAG as we go through the course today), the Access Board's Title III Standards for buildings and sites, and Accessible Public Rights-of-Way: Planning and Designing for Alterations published by ITE and available on the Access Board web site. Slide: 30 Available guidance materials – Federal Highway Administration From the Federal Highway Administration, there's the 2006 memo on public rights-of-way which provides guidance using proposed PROWAG in new construction and alterations, and the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) which we've mentioned earlier. End of Module A. Module B1. Travel by Pedestrians who are Blind or who have Low Vision Slide: 1 Travel by Pedestrians who are Blind or who have Low Vision In this module, we're review some general information about blindness and vision loss, and the travel aids and techniques used by pedestrians who are blind or who have low vision. This parallels chapter 2 in Accessible Pedestrian Signals: Guide to Best Practice. Photos: Man with cane standing at the edge of a street; woman with dog guide crossing a street Slide: 2 Prevalence of Blindness & Vision Loss Let me share a little about the prevalence of blindness and vision loss. Basically, some degree of vision impairment affects 10 million Americans. There is no registry of blind or visually impaired people in the U.S. so these are estimates based on the best available information, mainly Census information. There are 1.3 million people who are legally blind. The incidence of vision impairment increases with age, because some of the leading causes of vision loss are age-related. As the US population is getting older, we can expect somewhat more visual impairment in the population. Photo: man with white cane on a curb ramp at a crosswalk, stepping toward the edge of street Slide: 3 Visual impairment Let me clarify what we mean by visual impairment. Not everyone is totally blind. Visual impairment is a functional limitation in seeing, even with glasses and best correction of vision that is possible. Legal blindness is defined by law to determine eligibility for services. Someone who has 20/200 or less vision in the better eye with best possible correction is legally blind. Also, a person with severely restricted visual fields, less then 20 degrees, is legally blind. Just in case you don't understand those numbers, let me explain a little more. A simplified explanation is that, roughly, someone with 20/200 vision sees at 20 feet what someone with “normal vision” (20/20) sees from a distance of 200 feet. Visual field restriction of 20 degrees or less means someone sees through a narrowed area of vision, sometimes called tunnel vision. Slide: 4 This street crossing Here's a street crossing, as seen by someone with normal vision. What are some features that provide information about the crossing to those who are sighted? Look a minute, then scroll down to see a list of items The marked crosswalk, the edge of the street, edge of the sidewalk and grassline, curb ramps, poles, pedestrian signals, vehicle signals, pedestrian, cars, street signs, and buildings Slide: 5 As seen by someone with overall reduced acuity Here's a photo of the same street crossing, as it might be seen by someone with overall reduced visual acuity. What's still visible here? Scroll down to see if you've gotten them all: Crosswalk lines Cars, if their color contrasts with the background Some poles The color difference between the sidewalk and street, or the sidewalk and the lawn Possibly the pedestrian in the crosswalk (depends on contrast) It may be possible to read the sign in the foreground if close enough. However, a person with this type of vision can't see the pedestrian signal. They also can't read the street sign mounted beside the vehicular signal, or see the signal clearly. Many individuals with vision similar to this do not use a white cane or other aid that identifies them as visually impaired, so you might not know that they're visually impaired. Slide: 6 As seen by someone with central vision loss This photo is an example of what may be seen by a person with central vision loss. This is representative of the most common cause of vision loss in elderly adults, macular degeneration; although this photo shows an advanced case. The macula is the area of sharpest vision, used for reading and seeing details. The peripheral vision is always less sharp, as seen in the photo. Many individuals with this type of vision loss do not use a cane or other device that identifies them as visually impaired. What's still visible? Crosswalk lines, edge of street, some cars if the color contrasts with background. What a person with this type of vision loss cannot see is the pedestrian signal, or read the street signs, and other details. Slide: 7 As seen by someone with peripheral vision loss This photo illustrates severely restricted peripheral visual fields; this is sometimes called tunnel vision. This is most often caused by a disease called retinitis pigmentosa, or glaucoma. What is still visible to this person? A small section of crosswalk lines, A portion of a car, Pedestrian signal , A person probably can see the pedestrian signal as long as they're focused on it. The curb, curb ramp, sidewalk, and cars are not visible, at least not while the person is looking at the pedestrian signal. Individuals have to scan to see objects, but can only see some parts of the intersection at a time. Probably someone with this type of vision uses a long white cane or dog guide. Slide: 8 As seen by someone with total blindness And a person who is totally blind has no visual information at this intersection. There are other techniques that they can use to evaluate the intersection and to cross, but they don't have access to visual information like the crosswalk lines, visual pedestrian signals or other features. Slide: 9 How do people who are blind or who have low vision travel? How do people who are blind or who have low vision travel? There are a number of techniques and aids that can be used. These include a sighted or human guide, long white cane, dog guide, telescope or other low vision aid, or no aid at all. People who are blind or who have low vision use different techniques and travel aids based on individual preference and may use a combination of the above aids at different times and under different circumstances. The next slides will tell you a little about each. Photo: person with cane crossing the street just outside the crosswalk lines Slide: 10 Sighted (Human) Guide One technique that may be used is sighted or human guide skills. Some people may use a guide in certain situations such as in getting through a restaurant, or when walking with a friend, but traveling with a human guide is not usually someone's primary travel mode. The guide's role is the lead the blind person around obstacles, to stay ½ step ahead, to tell the individual about level changes (curbs or stairs), and to approach those level changes straight on. The role of the pedestrian who is blind is to hold the guide's arm or shoulder, to stay 1/2 step behind the guide and to pay attention to the guide's movements. Slide: 11 Long White Cane A long white cane is the most prevalent mobility aid; it is used as a probe of the walking surface. There are different techniques that are used in different situations or by different users depending on their vision, the ground surface, or their personal preference. The cane may be swung in an arc across the person's body, with the tip just touching the ground on either side of the person or may be kept in constant contact with the ground surface. People with some usable vision may just hold the cane across their body until they see something they need/want to check and touch it to the ground at that point. Different lengths of canes are used depending on personal preference and travel style but the cane is normally much longer than one used for support. Usually the cane length is somewhere between a person's chest and the top of their head. The purpose of the cane is to provide protection and information, to detect obstacles or dropoffs in the person's path at ground level and up to about waist height. The cane doesn't detect obstacles overhanging the path such as branches or signs that protrude from their posts. A white cane also identifies the person as an individual who is blind or who has low vision. Slide: 12 Dog Guides Only 2 to 5 per cent of blind individuals use dog guides, despite the common assumption among the sighted public. The dog responds to commands and direction from the handler. The dog guide leads the handler around obstacles in the path, pauses or stops at curbs or stairs, and responds to the handler's commands. The handler, the person who is blind, has to keep track of directions and give dog the appropriate commands at the appropriate time. The handler provides specific commands, not a general direction such as “go to the store”. The person decides when to cross the street, not the dog. The dog guide may stop if it is in imminent danger (about to get hit by a car). Dog guides will do doggie things, such as chase squirrels, if the handler is not alert and keeping the dog focused on the work of guiding. Photo: man crossing at street with dog guide Slide: 13 Where do people who are visually impaired live? Engineers sometimes suggest that they'll make the modifications where ‘blind people live', but the fact is people who are blind may live in all parts of an area and may travel throughout a metropolitan area. According to research on where people who are blind live, 33% live in cities, 37% in suburbs, 29% in non-metropolitan areas (small towns) and 1% in farm areas. In comparison to the general population, people with visual impairments are somewhat overrepresented in cities and somewhat underrepresented in suburbs. Why do you think that might be? Mainly access to transit, and the more pedestrian friendly aspects of a city. Suburbs are generally more car-friendly, and not as easy to travel in for someone who doesn't drive. However, people lose vision at different points in their lives. In general, individuals who lose their vision as adults are not in a position to move at that point in their life and may not desire to leave their familiar area and neighborhood. They often have families and other constraints that mean that they may not move to a more accessible location or area. It's inappropriate to assume that all blind people live and travel in a certain area of town. Slide: 14 Orientation and Mobility Instruction Orientation and mobility is provided by an orientation and mobility specialist. The training provided prepares a person who is blind to go out to new places and travel in various areas. Many blind pedestrians plan the routes then go out to new places and they assess the intersection and crossing when they arrive at it. O&M instruction in not available on an ‘on-call' basis. People don't get training for every route they may use and every street they may cross. Just like sighted pedestrians, they may have an appointment at a new place and call and get directions and travel to that location. They just take the bus rather than driving. A typical orientation and mobility program for someone who has recently lost their vision is 6 months of daily instruction; classes are individual and lessons take place on the streets and sidewalks. However, for various reasons, not all people who need orientation and mobility receive instruction . Slide: 15 Listening is not as specific as seeing Listening is different skill and provides different information than vision. It is not as specific as vision in identifying the location of objects. By listening, you can't always identify the exact location of a sound, such as which lane a car is in. You may be able to hear a car coming from your left, but not be able to pinpoint which lane of the street it is traveling in. In addition, a louder car can mask the sound of a closer one that is quieter. Sound also can be shadowed by objects, poles, and buildings and may not be as audible in one location as another. Slide: 16 Tasks necessary to cross street for person who is blind or who has low vision On this slide are the basic tasks involved in crossing the street, first to locate the edge of the street and the crosswalk. After that, a person must determine the intersection geometry and determine the appropriate heading to cross the street, then decide what traffic control is installed and when it is the appropriate time to cross. While crossing the individual has to maintain his/her heading or alignment to cross straight in the crosswalk. We'll talk more about each of them after a video showing an individual making a couple of street crossings at a location without accessible pedestrian signals. Slide: 17 Video The first seven minutes of this video is available for use in this presentation. This video, with its narration, is a quick illustration of the techniques used by blind pedestrians in crossing streets and some of the issues at very wide intersections, and how right turn on red and changes in intersection design have changed the travel environment for people who are blind or visually impaired. Slide: 18 Traditional techniques Individuals may use different techniques depending on their personal preference, their level of vision, and the travel environment. Most people use whatever information is available. As you saw in the video, traffic provides a lot of the information needed. With some of the complex signalization and geometry, and at crossings where there is low traffic volume beside the crosswalk, traditional street crossing techniques are not as effective as when they were developed 50 years ago. We'll talk in the next slides about each street crossing task and the information used by pedestrians who are blind or visually impaired. Slide: 19 Detecting the Street - Have I arrived at the street? First task is detecting the street, answering the question: Have I arrived at the street? Numerous cues are used by pedestrians who are blind or visually impaired to indicate the edge of the street. These include the curb or slope of the curb ramp, the end of a building and open sound at an intersection. As noted earlier, traffic on the street beside them and traffic on the street in front of them that they may be crossing provides an idea of the street location. Other cues may include the presence of other pedestrians or an intersecting sidewalk. Curb or detectable warnings/truncated domes installed at the edge of the street are usually a reliable indicator or the street. Slide: 20 Identifying the Street – Which street is this? Next step for a person who is blind is identifying the street, knowing where they are. That information is not commonly available in an accessible format such as braille or audible signage. Some of the cues used are a combination of a mental map (information gleaned earlier) and keeping track of their location. Other pedestrians may be a source of information although they can also be a confusing or inaccurate source of information. GPS are becoming more accessible and there are several GPS devices that do work for blind persons, however, GPS is not accurate enough to be a sole source of information yet. Also the pushbutton information messages of APS can be programmed to provide the names of the streets at a corner. Slide: 21 Analyze intersection geometry – What is the geometry of this intersection? The next task at an unfamiliar intersection is to analyze the intersection geometry. This is very difficult at many intersections today. The information gathered mainly depends on the presence of traffic in all lanes and on both roadways. Medians or islands may not be detected accurately by listening alone. They may be visible to someone with low vision, particularly if there is landscaping or other features that make them contrast more with the street. Judging width of street and analyzing the paths of numerous vehicles can be very challenging. The typical technique is to stand on the corner and listen to vehicular and pedestrian traffic through one or more complete cycles to try to determine paths of all vehicles, width of street, and crosswalk location Slide: 22 Analyzing traffic control system – Is the intersection signalized and do I need to push a pushbutton? While listening to traffic, the pedestrian who is blind or visually impaired is also trying to determine the traffic control at the intersection by listening for the stop and go pattern of traffic at a signalized intersection. On hearing that, they may search the sidewalk area for a pole and pushbutton. However, if it's not close to the crosswalk location, they may not find it. Some individuals may not search for pushbutton if they don't know there's one there. Slide: 23 Aligning to cross – What direction should I face to begin my crossing? Next question to be answered is: “What direction should I face to begin my crossing?” The traditional techniques for aligning to cross an intersection include maintaining approach line of travel, and listening through a signal cycle to confirm alignment parallel to traffic movement through the intersection. If it's a familiar location, a person may use the alignment of the sidewalk or ramp, or other tactile cues on walking surface. Having to use a pushbutton affects the ability to use these traditional techniques, since there's no time to listen through a signal cycle after using the pushbutton and returning to the curb; it's necessary to cross with the next surge of traffic in the correct direction. Photo: Man with long white cane standing near corner Slide: 24 Identify the crossing interval When does the walk interval begin? In the absence of an accessible pedestrian signal (and even when there is an APS, pedestrians who are blind listen for the surge of traffic on the street parallel to the crosswalk to determine when the signal changes. The graphic on the screen illustrates the appropriate traffic to listen to, with the complicated signal phasing now. A four leg intersection is shown, with a pedestrian on the southeast corner facing north, and a pedestrian on the northwest corner, facing east. The pedestrian on the southeast corner should begin crossing when cars in the nearest lane to his left (northbound) begin moving. He/she has to listen for the lane of traffic going straight through the intersection because a car turning right could begin at any time during the signal cycle to make a right turn on red, which is not a good time to begin crossing for that pedestrian. The pedestrian on the northwest corner should be listening for the traffic coming through the intersection toward him/her because traffic starting up going to the same direction could be moving with a protected left turn arrow across the crosswalk. With lots of lanes, and turning cars and possible combinations of permissive and protected turns, a person may wait several cycles before getting a good clear cue that the signal has just changed and it's a reasonable time to cross. Slide: 25 Maintaining crossing alignment – Am I headed straight toward my destination curb? And finally, while crossing, a pedestrian who is visually impaired or blind is constantly thinking and asking “Am I headed straight toward my destination curb?” They're using auditory cues from traffic traveling on the street beside them, hopefully parallel to their path as well as waiting traffic on the perpendicular street. If there are visual crosswalk lines, a person with low vision will be attempting to follow the line across the street. Where an APS is installed, with a pushbutton locator tone, it may provide some assistance as they near the last lane of their crossing in its typical operation. There are some systems that may provide “audible beaconing” that may help throughout their crossing. Slide: 26 Changes in the travel environment, Effect on travel of pedestrians who are blind Changes in intersection design, the driver behavior and the technology of vehicles and in intersection signalization have affected the travel of pedestrians who are blind. Photo: overhead photo of complicated intersection with right turn lanes and island Slide: 27 Intersection design issues Some of the issues relate to the width of street, as well as larger corner radius. Wide streets require more precise alignment and large radius corners make alignment more difficult. Large radius corner also increase crosswalk length. When medians, islands or curb extensions are installed, they may complicate wayfinding and alignment tasks by requiring turns during the crossing. Others are that crosswalk alignment is not consistent in relation to the intersection, the curb ramp and the sidewalk. Additional features such as raised crosswalks or depressed corners can make it difficult to locate the street sidewalk boundary. And while channelized lanes may shorten some of the crossing distances, they require detecting and crossing in gaps in traffic even at noisy signalized intersections. Slide: 28 Driver behavior and technology of vehicles Some of the changes in driver behavior that affect pedestrians is that aggressive drivers are moving faster and less likely to stop for pedestrians. This varies in different areas of the country. It seems somewhat related to areas with less pedestrian traffic and less awareness of pedestrian by drivers. The technology of cars, not just hybrid or electric vehicles, has become quieter in recent years. As noted earlier, right turn on red make it harder to recognize the surge of traffic and be sure it's really the right time to cross, and a blind pedestrian has to wait to hear a car traveling straight through the intersection, delaying the start of their crossing. Slide: 29 Signalization Issues We'll will talk about many of the issues after going over some terms and signalization examples in Module B2 and when talking about prioritizing the installation of APS. Slide: 30 Summary In summary, it's important to recognize that people who are blind or visually impaired cross streets every day, and their routes may vary from day to day. This street crossing task has become more difficult as geometry and signalization has changed. While being familiar with intersection can make the task somewhat easier and safer, access to the pedestrian signal information about the intersection has become more important for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. End of Module B1. Module B2. Understanding Traffic Signals and Modern Intersection Design Slide: 1 Understanding Traffic Signals and Modern Intersection Design Benefits to O&M Specialists, blind individuals, and other non-traffic related persons To understand traffic engineering terminology To understand how traffic signals are designed To be exposed to some of the more complex operations that are possible at traffic signals and what effect they may have on the travel of blind pedestrians Slide: 2 MUTCD Signal Warrants Traffic engineers use the signal warrants as put forth in the MUTCD to assist them in determining if a traffic signal should be installed at an intersection. Slide: 3 MUTCD Signal Warrants It is important to be aware that signals are installed for a variety of reasons. Also, there are no warrants specifically addressing pedestrian signals (although pedestrian volume plays a role in determining if a vehicular traffic signal should be installed), and pedestrian signals are not necessarily installed when a traffic signal is installed. Slide: 4 MUTCD Signal Warrants These are the 8 warrants listed in the MUTCD, section 4C. Warrants 1-4: if the volumes are high enough, the warrant is satisfied (i.e., it passes that warrant) Warrant 5,6: these are situations that would raise the priority for installing a signal Warrant 7: this warrant is satisfied if there have been a high number of crashes at the intersection Warrant 8: this warrant is satisfied if installing a signal would assist in organizing traffic on the overall network of roads surrounding the intersection Slide: 5 Intersection Signalization Some O&M instructors have mistakenly used “cycle” for “phase” (i.e., not a long enough cycle for my student to cross) or have used the terms interchangeably. It is important to know that traffic engineers have specific meanings for the terms. Slide: 6 Intersection Signalization These are the two basic kinds of signals. Effect on blind pedestrian: Pre-timed: a blind pedestrian can listen to several cycles and learn the pattern of the signal (which will not change) Actuated: the cycle and phases are unpredictable, since they might change depending on traffic volume or time of day. This is more difficult for a blind pedestrian. Slide: 7 Intersection Signalization Most actuated signals are activated by loops of wire embedded in the pavement that sense when cars pass over them. At some signals, video cameras are used to detect vehicles as they approach the intersection. Slide: 8 Intersection Signalization At semi-actuated signals, detectors loops are placed only on the minor street. Slide: 9 Intersection Signalization For fully actuated signals, there are detector loops on all approaches. Slide: 11 Intersection Signalization Effect of coordinated signals on a blind pedestrian: there may be instances where the green light is given for the minor street, but not the pedestrian signal (for crossing the major road). This might be done because there is enough time in the coordination scheme to let one or two minor road vehicles out but not enough time for a pedestrian phase. In this case, the pedestrian phase would be held until the next full cycle. However, a blind pedestrian would not know that the pedestrian phase is being held and might proceed when they hear the minor street vehicles go. Since there is not enough time designated for a pedestrian to cross the street, they might be in mid-crossing when a major street vehicle arrives. Slide: 13 Intersection Design This is what we will refer to as a channelized turn lane or slip lane. In most cases, this turn lane will direct drivers to yield to oncoming traffic or it will be a “free flowing” turn, which means the turning vehicles have a dedicated lane on the road they're turning onto and therefore don't need to stop or yield. Slide: 17 Pedestrian Signals WALK time is typically 4-7 seconds. Flashing DON'T WALK is the time needed for an average pedestrian to cross the street. Slide: 19 Pedestrian Signals APS during Rest-in-walk: instead of sounding constantly, some APS manufacturers provide a limit switch that limits the length of the audible WALK indication to seven or eight seconds, but recalls the audible and vibrotactile indications of the WALK, if the button is pressed when there is adequate clearance time remaining. End of Module B2. Module C. APS Features Slide: 1 APS Features In this module, we'll review the features of newer types of accessible pedestrian signals. This parallels chapter 4 in Accessible Pedestrian Signals: Guide to Best Practice. In this chapter, each feature is described and the information about each is organized in a similar manner. There will be a description, additional information, information on when to use, references and a section on how used by pedestrians who are blind or who have low vision. Photos: picture of pushbutton integrated APS on a pole near a crosswalk; picture of pushbutton with arrow above the button (no longer allowed by MUTCD). Slide: 2 This module This module introduces, explains and demonstrates currently available features of APS. We provide recommendations on features. Recommendations on installation location follow in later modules Slide: 3 Pushbutton-integrated APS When we say Accessible Pedestrian Signals or APS, we are not talking about the typical older style APS (loud overhead cuckoo-chirp or cuckoo-cheep audible signals) that have been installed in the US in the past. That's not what's is now in Draft PROWAG or in the new MUTCD requirements for APS functioning. While other types of APS have been installed in the US in the past, they don't provide benefits of pushbutton-integrated devices and are no longer recommended. These include pedhead-mounted (with cuckoo/chirp sounds or others), vibrotactile-only devices, and receiver-based devices. Photo: APS device with arrow on pushbutton and indicator light on device Slide: 4 APS Primary Features Primary features of the new types of APS include a pushbutton locator tone, a raised tactile arrow, an actuation indicator, automatic volume adjustment, and both audible and vibrotactile walk indications. We'll talk more about each of these features in the following slides. Slide: 5 Pushbutton Locator Tone The pushbutton locator tone is provided to let a blind person know that the button is there and to help them find the button. The locator tone is a repetitive sound from the pushbutton to provide information about the pushbutton presence and to assist a pedestrian who is blind to find the pushbutton. The locator tone in the US is required to be 1 tone per second, with each tone less than .15 seconds in duration. Different sounds are acceptable, but they must meet the specifications for duration of tone and repetition rate. Sounds are attached to speaker icons on this slide; each is a pushbutton locator tone, as provided by different manufacturers. New sound will play on each mouse click. Other sounds are acceptable Slide: 6 Tactile arrow The tactile arrow is a raised arrow on the pushbutton. The arrow may be used by a pedestrian who is blind to line up for crossing. Location of APS and arrow are often used as indicator of appropriate place to begin crossing from. It should be aligned with the direction of travel on the crosswalk. Alignment of the arrow and device can be a critical detail to consider; if it points out into the intersection, it can provide dangerous and misleading information. Photo: APS device on a pole, aligned with the crosswalk lines Slide: 7 Tactile Arrow – examples Raised arrow can be different sizes and slightly different shapes, as well as mounted in different locations on various manufacturers' devices. On left, blind pedestrian is standing with his dog guide, with his hand on the arrow while waiting to cross. In the second photo from the left, the raised arrow is on the pushbutton. Third from left, the raised arrow is above the pushbutton. On the far right, arrow is also on the pushbutton of the APS. MUTCD currently requires the arrow to be on the pushbutton; that was related to research results that showed blind pedestrians had more difficulty finding the arrow when it was at other places on the device. Photos: Photo of a main with a dog guide standing by a pole with his left hand on the pushbutton. Photo of an APS device with a black arrow on a while butoon. Photo of an APS with a large silver button, Photo locations: Charlotte NC – first two; Third is Manchester, Connecticut; Fourth is Tucson, AZ Slide: 8 Actuation Indicator The actuation indicator indicates to pedestrians that the button has been pressed. These lights work like elevator button lights, turning off when the pedestrian phase begins. A light comes on and a speech message says “wait”. That light can be reassuring to sighted pedestrians too. Slide: 9 Automatic Volume Adjustment New types of APS have automatic volume adjustment. These are generally quieter signals supposed to be heard 6 to 12 feet from the pushbutton. It's important to recognize that pedestrians who are blind need to hear the traffic as well as the signal. The louder signal, to be heard across the street, or what is called audible beaconing, is to be used only if requested. Slide: 10 Automatic Volume Adjustment The automatic volume adjustment makes the sounds respond to ambient sound, so a louder signal is produced when traffic is louder and there's a quieter signal when traffic is quieter. The volume is supposed to be no more than 2 to 5 dB above ambient sounds. Experience indicates that most APS are installed with volume too loud, rather than too quiet. Often signals are pre-set for the volume range and may need adjustment when installed. Slide: 11 WALK indication is critical The WALK indication and proper understanding of the WALK indication is the most critical information provided by an APS. It's important that it be understood correctly. The Walk must be readily detectable in presence of vehicular sound, highly localizable, uniquely recognizable as a WALK signal and unambiguous with regard to which crosswalk has the walk interval. Having all of those characteristics is important for walk indications. Being unambiguous in providing the WALK has been the subject of a lot of research in the last few years. Just as an example, there are some problems with cuckoo-cheep signals. They used to be installed with cuckoo for N/S crossings and cheep for E/W crossings. However, do you always know whether you're crossing N/S or E/W, if all crossings are clearly N/S or E/W. Think about it, if there were just one light over an intersection for the vehicles, which was blue for N/S traffic and orange for E/W traffic, would you always know which one was for you? That's one of the issues with using a code of different directions of travel. Slide: 12 Vibrotactile WALK indication The vibrotactile walk indication is an arrow that vibrates during WALK. This vibration communicates information to pedestrians with both hearing and visual impairments, or can be used to confirm the audible indication. However, it must be located close to crosswalk and close to street to be usable. Slide: 13 Audible WALK Indication - Tone or speech message? Right now for the audible walk indication, there are two choices and those choices depend on the location of the APS pushbuttons. You may not understand why that is. Mainly, distinguishing sound can be difficult. A great exercise here is to have them close their eyes and then two presenters make sound (clap, clicker, tap on an object) close together, then separated and see if they can tell which one is doing it. Traffic signals are carefully oriented so you don't see them from the wrong place; we need to think about the same issues in terms of audible signals. Two different sounds (ie.Cuckoo/chirp) didn't work because people don't always know what direction they're traveling and don't remember which sound is for which direction. The standard now is that if pushbuttons are separated by more than 10 feet, the location clarifies which crosswalk is being signaled so the tone (rapid tick) walk indication works well. If two pushbuttons are closer than 10 feet to each other, it's hard to distinguish which one is sounding by direction or location, so specially programmed speech messages and additional features are needed. Research has found that speech messages are not understood by a proportion of the population in the presence of traffic noise, particularly older people, so it's not the first choice, even though it sounds good in a conference room. Hopefully, eventually, as we get more consistent separation of pushbuttons and location of pushbuttons beside the curb ramp/crosswalk they serve, we can go to one sound for walk everywhere (which will be easier to understand and maintain). Slide: 14 WALK indication - rapid tick Click on photo to play locator tone followed by rapid tick walk indication. You'll hear the pushbutton locator tone (during steady don't walk and flashing don't walk), then rapid tick walk indication (during WALK). This type of WALK has been used for years in Europe and Scandinavian countries; the same sound is used for all directions and they locate the pushbuttons and APS right beside the crosswalk departure location so the same sound for all crossings works due to proximity to the croswalk. The locator tone is constant and adjusts in response to ambient sound but it is NOT supposed to be loud (just audible at the corner, not halfway down the block or across the street). Slide: 15 WALK Indication - speech message Click on photo to play locator tone followed by a speech walk indication. You'll hear the pushbutton locator tone (during steady don't walk and flashing don't walk), then the speech walk indication (during WALK). There is a specific message format, “[street name] walk sign is on to cross [street name]” that should be used. If a speech walk message is used, it must be accompanied by a tactile arrow, and a pushbutton information message. Pushbutton information message is explained later, as additional feature, with an example. Any of the pushbutton locator tones could be used here; this one happens to be a beep, but it could be a click. Remember, what is standardized is the short length of the tone and the once per second repetition rate. This type of WALK has been used for years in Europe and Scandinavian countries; the same sound is used for all directions and they locate the pushbuttons and APS right beside the crosswalk departure location. The locator tone is constant and adjusts in response to ambient sound but it is NOT supposed to be loud (just audible at the corner, not halfway down the block or across the street). Slide: 16 WALK indication: Speech message While, when listening to it in a meeting room, the speech message seems very user-friendly, there are a number of reasons that it is not the first choice for the walk indication. First, to be used, the words and meaning must be correctly understood. For people with age-related hearing loss, which makes speech harder to understand in noise, non-English speakers, and those with cognitive disabilities, speech may be misunderstood. In various ambient sound conditions, or with certain street names, there is potential for confusion. For example, at the corner of streets named Asheland and Patton, it's quite difficult to discern which one has been announced. In addition, users have to know the names of the streets for the speech walk message to be usable. That can be provided with a pushbutton information message, which we'll discuss shortly, but it's a necessary piece of information. And finally, in research, there was a slower response from users than there was to the rapid tick walk indication. Slide: 17 WALK indication: Speech message With walk indication provided by speech message, there is recommended wording an it's important to use consistent wording. The recommended message wording is a result of research. The recommended WALK message is “Howard, walk sign is on to cross Howard. Howard, walk sign is on to cross Howard.” At a location with exclusive pedestrian phasing, the recommended message it “walk sign is on for all crossings” or use the rapid tick walk indication. While the speech message seems long, it's a result of different understanding of messages that we found for blind pedestrians and engineers. One possibility considered was “Howard Street, Walk Sign”. In research, engineers thought “Howard Street, walk sign” indicated that pedestrian walking along Howard Street could cross the cross street at that location, however, pedestrians who were blind thought it meant that the pedestrians should cross Howard Street. That's the reason for the much longer message, to make sure it's understood correctly. Slide: 18 WALK indication: Other features needed with speech message When using a speech message for the walk indication, other features are needed. Without these other features, using a speech message doesn't provide any more clarity than single tone message. In addition to the tactile arrow, there needs to be a pushbutton information message. A blind person who is unfamiliar with the intersection may need to listen to the pushbutton information message to find out the street name to listen for as the indicator of crossing time. There's an example of the pushbutton information message in a few slides. Slide: 19 Additional features Some possible additional features include: Braille signs, Raised print or Large print signs, Tactile crosswalk map, Alert tone, Extended Button Press, Pushbutton Information Message, and Audible beaconing. Each of these features is available from at least one of the manufacturers selling APS in the US. We'll explain a little more about each in the next slides. Slide: 20 Braille Signs Braille signs can be very helpful to those who read braille to confirm the street they are crossings. Usually the braille is added to the sign above the pushbutton. Remember the street name should be the street to be crossed. Slide: 21 Raised Print and Large Print Signs The street name may be provided in large print in addition to braille or a pushbutton information message. Large print can be provided by some manufacturers; as shown on this sign, sometimes there are problems with fitting the whole name in the space available. Some individuals who are blind would like raised print, which is raised letters that can be traced/felt with the finger. Slide: 22 Tactile Crosswalk Map One manufacturer provides a tactile map of the crosswalk. The symbols shown here (from bottom of picture) are first for down curb, two direction bike lane, 2 lanes of cars from left, island, rail line, 2 lanes of cars from right, and up curb. The symbols here are ‘slugs' that are dropped into a channel on the side of the aps devices. These symbols are standardized in Sweden, but not in the US. Slide: 23 Alert Tone Click on photo to play alert tone. First you'll hear the locator tone, then the alert tone, followed by the walk indication. An alert tone refers to a brief burst of high frequency sound at the beginning of the WALK. It may be useful in locations with high ambient noise levels. It is part of the Australian standard intended to cut through traffic sounds Slide: 24 Extended button press Extended button press is a feature of APS that is used to call additional features by holding in the pushbutton for 1 second or more. This activates options that may not be needed or wanted by all pedestrians. Slide: 25 Extended button press Some of the options that can be activated by extended button press include the pushbutton information message, audible beaconing, longer crossing time and other features that may be developed. We'll talk more about the pushbutton information message and audible beaconing in the next slides. The longer crossing time is an option that has been discussed and may depend on controller and available settings. Slide: 26 Pushbutton information message As discussed earlier, the pushbutton information message provides street name information through a speech message. Click on photo to play a pushbutton information message. The pushbutton information message is usually set to be called up by an extended button press. Slide: 27 Pushbutton Information message: Recommended wording There is some recommended wording for pushbutton information messages. The APS Guide has detailed recommendations based on survey research. For typical crossings, the recommended wording is ‘Wait to cross Howard at Grand'. Slide: 28 Audible beaconing Audible beaconing is an increase in volume of signal (both the walk indication and the locator tone for that phase, or just the locator tone for that phase) for the next pedestrian phase in order to provide some additional directional information to a person while crossing the street. This is usually requested by an extended button press. That way it's not loud all the time and people can get a louder signal if they feel they warnt or need it. Some APS allow the sound to come only from the other side of the street or to alternate from one end of the crosswalk to the other. MUTCD allows either at this point. Slide: 29 Audible beaconing - cautions When considering audible beaconing, it's important that a person doesn't hear the walk indication from the wrong place for the wrong phase. It may not be appropriate at locations with yield controlled right turns or split phasing. Some recent research indicates that it could work if only the volume of the locator tone, from the destination corner opposite end of the crosswalk where it is called, is boosted by the extended button press. It's also important to carefully adjust the speaker location and speaker volume. Mainly, walk signal must not be audible from a location to which it does not apply. Slide: 30 Feature Summary Let's just quickly review of the features we've talked about that are required: Pushbutton locator tone, once per second, no specific type of sound recommended, tactile arrow raised and on pushbutton, automatic volume adjustment, actuation indicator – “Wait” Slide: 31 WALK indication summary And here are the requirements related to the walk indication: Quiet, not broadcast across intersection, Audible at crosswalk departure point, Vibrotactile indication (in addition to audible), Where APS on corner can be separated use rapid tick, Where two APS are located on same pole or closer than 10 feet to each other use speech walk message with a tactile arrow and a pushbutton information message. End of Module C. Module D. When to Install APS. Slide: 1 When to Install APS In this module, we'll discuss when to install APS and a prioritization tool developed in this project. This parallels chapter 5 in Accessible Pedestrian Signals: Guide to Best Practice. Slide: 2 Where are APS required? Where are APS required? As discussed in module 1, the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act include a requirement for nondiscrimination in programs and activities. There is also a requirement for effective communication with persons with disabilities. Those requirements, along with the proposed Public Rights-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines, imply that APS should be installed where ever pedestrian signals are installed. However, the practice in most of the United States has been installation of APS only where requested, and even then, requests may be denied for various reasons. Slide: 3 Where are APS required? MUTCD Guidance MUTCD does provide some guidance on where to install APS, but this may be inadequate in light of ADA requirements. A jurisdiction can still be sued for discriminating under ADA, even if following MUTCD. The MUTCD says that an engineering study should be done and should consider the following factors: potential demand – in other words, the likelihood that a pedestrian who is blind would be at that location; a request; traffic volumes, including low traffic volumes; the complexity of traffic signal phasing and the complexity of intersection geometry. If you think back to Module 2, why do you think that low traffic volumes matter? Remember that people who are blind use the sound of cars starting to move beside them, the “surge” of traffic, so locations with low traffic volumes may not have any good cues to the time the signal changes. And how about complexity of signal phasing? Again it has to o with being able to recognize the surge of traffic. In the case of complex phasing, it's picking out the right surge at the right time and not confusing it with other traffic movement. And the complexity of intersection geometry has to do with the need for more information about geometry, which is hard to determine by listening. The 2009 MUTCD added more about what is meant by complexity of signal phasing by adding the parenthetical phrase: such as split phases, protected turn phases, leading pedestrian intervals, and exclusive pedestrian phases. Slide: 4 Where are APS required? And how about the ADA? As noted earlier, the current final rule, ADAAG (2010), was written for building sites, rather than public rights-of-way, and does not mention APS. A 2006 memo from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) stated that Draft PROWAG “can be considered the state of the practice that could be followed for areas not fully addressed by the present ADAAG standards”. Clearly, APS are not “fully addressed by present ADAAG standards”. What Draft PROWAG says is that APS shall be installed at all newly constructed or reconstructed intersections where visual pedestrian signals are installed. Slide: 5 Application of ADA Let's review the application of ADA. ADA is not well understood and its application can be confusing. Proposed PROWAG, as noted on previous slide, requires APS at all new or reconstructed intersections. The goal of ADA, and that requirement, is that eventually all facilities will be accessible. ADA doesn't require immediate compliance, or reconstruction of all intersections. However, ADA standards do come into play whenever work is being done. Accessibility features should be upgraded whenever other work is being done at a location. There is also a requirement for each jurisdiction to look at the accessibility of their facilities and develop a plan to bring their facilities into full compliance with the ADA. This is called a transition plan in the ADA standards. Many jurisdictions do not seem to have an up-to-date transition plan. Slide: 6 Application of ADA In general, ADA is applied differently at three project levels: new construction, planned alterations, and in retrofitting an existing facility. Slide: 7 Application of ADA: New Construction In new construction, the highest level of accessibility in required, meeting the technical specifications in the ADA guidelines. There are very few exceptions allowed when something is completely new. In the public right-of-way, very little of what you build is truly new construction. There are nearby buildings or other facilities that can affect the construction. In new construction, there are deviations from the new construction standards allowed only for structural impracticability, equivalent facilitation and construction tolerances. Structural impracticability – in new construction, this is most likely to be related to slopes/terrain that cannot be mitigated. “Equivalent facilitation” is allowed in application of the ADA standards. Basically, this allows the use of a different method of providing accessibility as long as what is done is equivalent to or better than what is required by the standards. The engineer or designer has to be prepared to back that up if challenged. The intent of this is to allow for developments in technology or knowledge of how to make facilities accessible. There is not, currently, any kind of certification related to the equivalent facilitation requirement. When using something different, the designer needs to be prepared with information to support that decision as providing equivalent accessibility. And, typical construction tolerances are allowed. Slide: 8 Application of ADA: Alteration Projects In alterations projects, you still have structural impracticability, equivalent facilitation, and construction tolerances, and technical infeasibility is added as an allowable reason to not build something exactly to the new construction standards. An example might be some planned construction at an existing intersection, (upgrading of signal controller and replacement of signals) but the placement of APS is restricted due to buildings, poles and vaults near the corner. In that case, you should get APS installed as close as possible to new construction guidelines. For example, that may be a location where you must put two APS devices on the same pole, rather than on separated poles at the intersection. If you do that, document the decision and the reasons you decided on that decision. In general, the emphasis should be on meeting the new construction guidelines as well as possible. ADA language is “to the maximum extent feasible.” Slide: 9 Application of ADA: Existing Facilities In modifying existing facilities, where no work is planned, these modifications will mainly be in response to requests, or as part of a transition plan. There is a requirement to provide program access and there is the greatest flexibility in following new construction guidelines in this kind of situation. The modification could be something that works for the person who made the request, but does not comply with new construction standards. Other exceptions spelled out in ADA regulations are that the program can be viewed in its entirety, a fundamental alteration is not required, and there are allowances for undue financial and administrative burden. Viewing the program in its entirety may allow the delaying of an APS modification or installation if there is an installation at the next intersection. A fundamental alteration of the program is not required, so for example, if the program is a sidewalk or street crossing and there is no pedestrian facilities, the ADA may not require the installation of facilities. The ‘fundamental alteration” clause has most commonly been applied to modifications to historic properties. Undue financial and administrative burden is defined as applying to entire financial resources of program, not just the project resources, so the entire transportation budget would be considered, not just the part that has been budgeted for a particular project. Slide: 10 Application of ADA: Existing Facilities ADA requirement for transition plan has been in effect for years, and was based on Rehab Act requirements for transition plans. It allows for prioritization of modifications of facilities and also states that jurisdictions should consider requests from people with disabilities. Slide: 11 Prioritizing APS Installations Program access and barrier removal modifications can be prioritized. It doesn't have to be done as soon as it is requested. To assist with that, the APS Prioritization Tool was developed to prioritize installations of APS. Maximum extent feasible and technically infeasible are terms used and explained (to some extent) in DOJ ADA final rule. Basically, it means you need to meet the new construction guidelines if possible, when modifying facilities. However, in existing intersections, there may be barriers to meeting new construction guidelines. We'll talk more about installation issues in module E. Slide: 12 Advisory Committee When making decisions about installations, particularly when prioritizing requests or prioritizing installations in a transition plan, a city or county may wish to set up an advisory committee of stakeholders to help the traffic engineering department in that process. That committee might review ratings and decisions and could also help provide information about the process to individuals with disabilities. This can be very helpful in communicating what you're doing and in getting feedback on a regular basis. Slide: 13 APS Prioritization Tool Let's talk now about the APS Prioritization Tool developed as part of this project. Slide: 14 Overview of Prioritization Tool This tool is developed for use by traffic engineers who are often unfamiliar with issues that may impact the travel of people who are blind or visually impaired. The tool assists in identifying what intersection and crosswalk characteristics are may be most problematic for blind pedestrians and prioritizing responses to requests, or prioritizing installations in a transition plan. Slide: 15 Overview of Prioritization Tool The goal of this prioritization tool is to develop a score that reflects the relative crossing difficulty of a crosswalk for pedestrians who are blind. One of the features of this tool is that it provides scores for each crosswalk rather than for the intersection as a whole. That's because there may be some crosswalks at an intersection that are much more difficult than others, for example, crossing the major street at an intersection. More points or a higher score indicates a greater crossing difficulty for blind pedestrians and therefore greater priority for APS. We're going to talk through each factor on the tool in this module. Slide: 16 Overview of Prioritization Tool The prioritization tool is not intended for use to decide whether an intersection needs an APS. In developing it, it was assumed that APS will be installed a new or reconstructed intersections and that they would be constructed to the requirements of proposed PROWAG. It is intended for use as part of a transition plan or in prioritizing response to community requests for APS installation. Slide: 17 Prioritization Tool Development When we began developing this tool, a number of cities and states had developed various rating scales. We reviewed those in the process. The advantage of this tool is that it has been validated in several locales around the US, rather than just developed by a group in a particular city. Expert opinion of pedestrians who were blind and orientation and mobility specialists was compared to the tool scores. The next slide gives a brief overview of the validation process. Slide: 18 Prioritization Tool Development In developing the prioritization tool, the research team selected factors (e.g., crosswalk width, signal design) to include in the tool. Factors that made crossing more difficult for blind pedestrians were given higher point values. This produced the initial form of the prioritization tool. Then, with help from traffic engineers in Cambridge, Tucson and Charlotte, the team selected ten crosswalks in each of the three cities. Each crosswalk was rated with the initial prioritization tool. The same crosswalks were rated by O&M specialists and blind or low vision pedestrians who ranked them in order of difficulty for blind pedestrians and all met in focus groups to discuss their reasoning. The sets of rankings were compared. The places where the draft prioritization tool results differed from the expert results showed where the tool's point values needed to be raised or lowered. This process produced a tool that was validated by comparison to expert opinion in real-world situations in cities in different parts of the US. Slide: 19 Forms and Variables The Prioritization Tool is in Appendix D of the APS Guide; Turn to the first form, the intersection worksheet. There are two main worksheets and we'll talk about each variable on the forms in the following slides. There is an intersection worksheet and crosswalk worksheet; for a typical intersection, you'll need one intersection worksheet and four crosswalk worksheets. You add together the intersection worksheet score and the crosswalk worksheet score to come up with a score for each crosswalk of an intersection. Even though the prioritization tool forms have some explanation included on the form, the instructions are essential; the form is not self-explanatory for all variables. Slide: 20 Intersection Variables The following variables are those that pertain to the intersection as a whole. First variable on the form is Configuration. This pertains to the layout of the intersection. The choices are 4-leg (0 points), 4 leg offset (3 points), 3 leg T or Y (3 points), 5 or more legs (12 points) and midblock location (14 points). 4-leg intersections are the most common and easiest to predict and easiest to hear and use traffic sounds for determining when the signal changes. Other configurations present more unknown intersection geometry and sometimes a lack of parallel traffic noise. For example, a midblock crossing gets the highest point score mainly because it has no parallel traffic so there's no audible cue of when to cross. The second overall intersection factor is signalization. The choices there are pretimed, actuated, split phase, and exclusive pedestrian phase. In this one again, the scores go up as the signalization becomes more complex or harder to determine by listening. For example, at a pre-timed signal, a blind pedestrian can listen to several cycles and learn the pattern of the signal (which will not change). At actuated signals, the cycle and phases are unpredictable, since they might change depending on traffic volume or time of day. This can be more difficult for a blind pedestrian. Spilt phasing and exclusive ped phasing are illustrated in the next slides. Slide: 21 Intersection Signalization These two images of a typical four-leg intersection show sequential phases of a split phased signal. In the image on the left, all vehicular traffic going north, turning left, right, and traveling straight through, will be moving as pedestrian going north on the east crosswalk (bottom right corner, southeast corner) will have the WALK indication. At that time a pedestrian on the west crosswalk traveling north (bottom left corner, from southwest corner) will have a DON'T WALK, since the northbound left turning traffic has a protected turn. Without APS, when a blind pedestrian on the bottom left corner (SW corner) hears the northbound through traffic, they might assume that they have the WALK indication because traffic is moving on the parallel street. If they attempt to make their crossing at that time, there is a potentially dangerous conflict with northbound left-turning traffic which has a protected turn arrow and does not expect pedestrians. The pedestrian on the west crosswalk is supposed to cross in the next phase, shown in the graphic on the right, when all the southbound traffic has a green signal. While many pedestrians who are blind have been taught to cross with traffic in the nearest lane, which would be the traffic coming toward them when they are crossing northbound from the SW corner, it can be difficult to sort out by listening. In addition, the often heavy turning movements can present a false cue for pedestrians crossing east and west. For example, when crossing from the SE corner, westbound, in the image on the right, the turning cars may be heard as a surge of eastbound traffic. Because of the high potential for confusion with split phasing, 6 points are given for that type of signalization. Slide: 22 Intersection Signalization When there is exclusive pedestrian phasing (scramble phasing), all vehicles have a red light during pedestrian walk interval, even though right-turn-on-red may be permitted, and all crosswalks have the walk interval at the same time. Without APS and with the absence of parallel traffic movements, a blind pedestrian will not be able to determine with certainty when the WALK begins and will have no cars moving through the intersection parallel to the crosswalk to use to maintain alignment while crossing. Slide: 23 Intersection Variables All three of these variables increase the probability that a blind traveler will be crossing at this intersection: Transit facility which can include bus stops or transit stations, with more points given for more facilities; Facility for visually impaired such as a school for the blind or a rehabilitation center serving individuals who are blind; and, Major pedestrian attractor such as shopping areas, educational campuses, recreational areas and medical facilities. So points are given for each of these, with no points for no transit stop, 1 point for 1 bus route at the intersection, 3 points for multiple bus routes and 5 points for a transit station. More points are given for a facility for the visually impaired depending on proximity. Same with major pedestrian attractors. Major pedestrian attractor is not quantitatively defined; that definition may vary in different areas. Determining that might be a task to consider with your advisory group. Slide: 24 Crosswalk Variables Now we move on to the Crosswalk Worksheet. These variables deal with characteristics of the individual crosswalks so there will one sheet for each crosswalk at an intersection and the points may vary depending on the characteristics of that crosswalk. The first item is the crosswalk width (or maybe more accurately crosswalk length) or distance from curb to curb, with 0 points for a crossing less than 40 feet and 5 points for a crossing of 120 feet or more. On a wider street, it's more important to start crossing immediately, rather than delaying while waiting for a definitive traffic movement cue. Wider crossings are more difficult for a blind pedestrian in terms of maintaining alignment and just in terms of being in the street longer, with more potential traffic conflicts. The locator tone or audible beaconing from APS may help to maintain better alignment while crossing. Second item is the speed limit. This just reflects the danger of higher speed environments for pedestrians. If mistakes are made by the blind pedestrian or the driver, when a vehicle is traveling more slowly, there is more time to react. Values range from 0 points for less than or equal to 20 mph to 5 points for greater than or equal to 45 mph. This is based on the posted speed limit, just to have a consistent number to refer to. Next we look at approach and crosswalk geometrics and their potential effect on the crossing task. In this section, you score for any of these items that apply to the crosswalk. Most of these are issues that may make it harder to determine where to begin and end crossing, and when to cross for a pedestrian who is blind or who has low vision. Large curb radii (over 25 feet) can make it difficult for a blind pedestrian to orient themselves for crossing and make mistakes more likely. An APS with tactile arrow might assist them in locating the correct place to start and facing the correct direction for crossing straight to the opposite curb. 1 point is given for a crosswalk with curb radii over 25 feet on either end of the crosswalk. Islands or medians can create additional complications for crossing, which may delay a person who is blind or who has low vision in completing their crossing, especially if their initial crossing alignment is not correct. APS may provide additional information for the crossing, and if APS are located on the islands, can help individuals correct their misalignment mid-crossing. If there are islands, there's more potential for individuals who are blind to get stopped in the middle of their crossings and they may need to wait for the next signal on an island and need that audible signal information to complete their crossing. Only one point is given for islands or medians, painted, raised or cut-through, anywhere in the crosswalk. A transverse slope, or sideways slope to the crosswalk, can cause a pedestrian to veer as they cross. That increases the difficulty of the crossing and maintaining the correct heading while crossing. It's possible that the pushbutton locator tone or audible beaconing from APS could help them correct their heading and maintain better alignment while crossing. Slide: 25 Approach/crosswalk geometrics, Apex curb ramp If the curb ramp points toward the center of the intersection (top photo and illustration), this is what is termed an apex or diagonal ramp configuration. The ramp can be misleading to the alignment of a blind pedestrian. Points are given in the Prioritization Tool for an apex ramp configuration at either end of the crosswalk. On the other hand, ramps that serve individual crosswalks (bottom photo and illustration) can offer somewhat better directional cues and no prioritization points are added for them. Slide: 26 Approach/crosswalk geometrics, Channelized turn island A channelized turn island requires a blind pedestrian to reorient to the crossing on the island which increases the difficulties of the crossing. Slide: 27 Approach/crosswalk geometrics, Skewed Crosswalk For this prioritization, skewed crosswalk is defined differently than a skewed intersections, as it's traditionally defined by traffic engineers, where roads don't meet at 90 degrees (picture on the right). For the APS Prioritization Tool, the crosswalks at that intersection are not necessarily considered skewed. For the points assigned in this Prioritization Tool, the definition of skew has to do with the issue of whether the pedestrian will end up in the road if they maintain the same approach vector from the sidewalk. In the illustration on the left, a pedestrian who maintains the same line as the approaching sidewalk will end up in the traffic lanes on the far side, thus the crosswalk is skewed. In the illustration on the right, a pedestrian who maintains the same line as the approaching sidewalk will end up on the curb and is traveling roughly parallel to traffic movement, thus the crosswalk is not skewed, even though it is slanted. Slide: 28 Approach/crosswalk geometrics Skewed Crosswalk Here is an example of a skewed crosswalk. Pedestrians approaching must turn to cross as expected at this intersection. Slide: 29 Crosswalk Variables Crosswalk variable now turn to issues related to pedestrian signal control issues. First, if the signal is designed so that the pushbutton must be pressed in order to bring up the WALK, this raises the priority for APS at the corner. Pedestrians must find and use the pushbutton and the APS locator tone provides a cue that there is a pushbutton at the corner. In addition, actuated crossings are often timed more tightly so the pedestrian needs to begin their crossing during WALK. 4 points are added to the score in this situation; San Francisco modified the tool to add more points for this issue, in response to their advisory committee concerns. Slide: 30 Pedestrian Signal Control, Non-concurrent WALK Interval If the intersection/signal is designed so that WALK interval is given for a crosswalk at a different time than the parallel traffic movement, this raises the priority for having APS at the crosswalk. 4 points are given for that situation. We have termed this situation to be a “non-concurrent WALK interval”. As shown in the illustration, pedestrians receive a walk indication when traffic is moving at another location in the intersection, not when the traffic is moving beside the pedestrian providing the typical cue for the pedestrian who cannot see the WALK. An APS would let the pedestrian know that the WALK signal has been given. Slide: 31 Pedestrian Signal Control, Non-concurrent WALK Interval Here's an overhead photo of one of the non-concurrent walk interval situations in the validation process. At this five leg intersection, the pedestrian crossing (highlighted with the yellow block) is given the WALK indication at the same time as the green phase for the traffic shown by the arrows. Slide: 32 Pedestrian Signal Control, Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) A lead pedestrian interval gives pedestrians a head start on vehicles that may be turning right across the crosswalk. These diagrams show a sighted pedestrian making the crossing. Without an audible signal from APS, blind pedestrians will not know that pedestrians are being given a headstart before the parallel vehicle green. Several seconds later, when they hear they parallel traffic begin to go, they will begin their crossing. This behavior may be unexpected by drivers, leading to potential conflict. Also, the pedestrian may not have sufficient time to finish crossing, depending on the signal timing design. Slide: 33 Crosswalk Variable, Pedestrian Signal Control Some pedestrian signals are designed so that pedestrians only have enough time to make it to the median island and have to finish crossing during the next cycle. This design raises the priority for APS. An APS would need to be placed in the median island to indicate to the blind pedestrian that there is a pushbutton to be pressed for the second half of the crossing and to give them the opportunity to call a pedestrian phase. Slide: 34 Vehicle Signal Control, Right-Turn-on-Red Now we consider the vehicle signal control and its effect on pedestrians who are blind or who have low vision. As mentioned in the video earlier, vehicles turning right on red can be confusing to pedestrians who are blind or who have low vision. The surge of a right-turning vehicle may lead pedestrians who are blind incorrectly believe that the parallel traffic has the green and that it's the time to cross. In fact, they would be in conflict with the through traffic on the street being crossed. Just in general, right turn on red makes the traffic sounds harder to interpret because there are lots of little “surges” and conflicting sounds. Slide: 35 Vehicle Signal Control, Leading Protected Left Turn Leading protected left turn or turns can be mistaken for the sound of traffic surging on the parallel street possibly leading to a mistake by a pedestrian who is blind In fact, they would be in conflict with the left turning vehicles that have a protected arrow and are not expecting pedestrians in the crosswalk. Three points are given for leading protected left turns on street parallel to the crossing; that would be for either direction, if there are only protected turns in one direction, since it's the confusing sound cues that are the issue, not just the potential crash or conflict. Slide: 36 Vehicle Signal Control, Protected Right Turn (Overlap) Right turn overlap is when right turning cars are given a green arrow at the same time that left turning cars on the cross street are given a green arrow. As shown in the illustration, there is no conflict with other vehicles. For pedestrians who are blind, the sound of the either the right turning or left turning (depending on which crossing the pedestrian is making) could lead them to think that it's the start of the pedestrian phase. If they began crossing on either crosswalk, they would be in conflict with both right turning vehicles and left turning vehicles on their protected turns. Slide: 37 Vehicle Signal Control, Signalized Channelized Turn Lane Since most channelized turn lanes are not under signal control (usually yield control), a channelized turn lane under signal control could be unexpected. If a blind pedestrian crossed the turn lane when the turn lane signal showed green for vehicles, a potentially dangerous confusion of priorities could result. Likewise, if a blind pedestrian waited and didn't cross while a vehicle in the turn lane was stopped for a red light, a potentially dangerous confusion of priorities could result. This increases the need for well-installed APS on the curb and on the island to provide appropriate information to pedestrians. Slide: 38 Crosswalk Variables Several more crosswalk variables can be important to consider. Off-peak traffic presence quantifies the traffic available to provide cues to the signal changes to pedestrians who are blind. It's somewhat counter-intuitive to many engineers, but more traffic is better than too little traffic, in terms of figuring out the signal changes and timing. The more traffic there is starting up and traveling parallel to the crosswalk the more usable audible cues there are for blind pedestrians. If there is little parallel traffic on average, the points in the Prioritization Tool are higher because there is more priority for installing APS to indicate the walk interval. The determination of off-peak traffic presence is made by counting through vehicles on the roadway parallel to each crosswalk for ten cycles during an off-peak time period at that intersection. If there are constantly at least two through vehicles parallel to that crosswalk, it's a lower priority for APS installation, getting only one point. However, it there are occasional (less than 30% of time or just 2 of the ten cycles) or no vehicles traveling through parallel to the crossing, it's a higher priority, adding 5 or 6 points. If there is not an alternative APS-equipped crosswalk nearby, that raises the priority for installing an APS at this crosswalk. Points ranging from 1 to 4 are added, based on the distance to an APS crossing in the direction considered. If there are pushbuttons but any one for the crossing is more than 10 feet back from the curb or more than 5 feet outside the crosswalk lines, it will be harder to locate. Also, it will be harder for blind pedestrian to regain their alignment after pressing the button. This raises the priority for APS, which has a locator tone to assist in finding the pushbutton and a tactile arrow that can assist in alignment. And if there have been requests for APS at this crosswalk, that raises the priority for APS. Slide: 39 Example To illustrate how the Prioritization Tool would be used at an actual crosswalk, we will look at an example. This crosswalk (outlined in black in the left photo, shown at street level on the right) crosses a wide street at an intersection with an actuated signal. It is necessary to push the pedestrian pushbutton to bring up the walk interval at this crossing. Slide: 40 Intersection Worksheet Here's the intersection worksheet, filled out for this intersection. Note the basic drawing of the intersection and labeling of the crosswalks to match up with the 4 individual crosswalk worksheets. Here's how this intersection was scored: Configuration: 4-legs, so no points given Signalization: this signal is actuated and has split phasing. Since split phasing has the higher point value, that is the value to be selected in the Signalization category. 6 points are given. Transit: there is one bus route that passes through this intersection, so 1 point is given. Distance to Facility for Visually Impaired: there are no such facilities within ½ mile, so no points are given. Distance to Major Pedestrian Attraction: there are no such facilities within ½ mile, so no points are given. So the intersection base score is 7 points. Then we move to the crosswalk worksheet. Slide: 41 Here's what points are assigned on the crosswalk worksheet for this crosswalk; remember that there is another worksheet for each crosswalk at the intersection: Crosswalk width: this crosswalk is 110 feet wide (curb to curb), so 4 points are given Speed limit: the speed limit on the road being crossed is 45 mph, so 5 points are given Approach/Crossing Geometrics: Curb radius: the corner curbs have radii over 25 feet, so 1 point is given Pedestrian signal Control: Pushbutton actuation required: it is necessary to push the pushbutton to call the WALK interval, so 4 points are given Slide: 42 Continuing on with the crosswalk worksheet: Vehicle Signal Control: Right-Turn-on-Red: RTOR is permitted at this intersection, so 2 points are given Off-Peak Traffic Presence: the traffic presence is heavy (two or more cars present on parallel street for 70-80% of cycles), so only 2 points are given. Distance to Alternative APS Crossing: There is not another APS crossing within ½ mile, so 4 points are given. Pushbutton Location: the pushbutton at one of the corners for this crosswalk is located more than 10 feet back from the curb, so 3 points are given. There have been no requests for APS at this location so no points for this crossing. The crosswalk score is 25 points. Then add the crosswalk score to the intersection worksheet score to get a final total for this crosswalk of 32 points Slide: 43 Example: Final Score So here's the final score for that crosswalk, the intersection score of 7 + the crosswalk score of 25 = 32 points for this crossing. The other crosswalks at this intersection would usually also be scored. In practice this process would be done for each one of group of intersections and crosswalks. The highest scores would indicate the crosswalks that are highest priority for APS installation. There is not requirement to install APS at a certain level or score and this worksheet is not intended to be used for that purpose. We assumed that APS were needed (eventually) at any location where pedestrian signals are installed. There may be some other issues to discuss and decide in your community, for example, if one crosswalk is rated a priority, but the rest of the intersection is not, should APS be installed for all crosswalks at that intersection? It might depend on whether it's part of a transition plan or a response to a request, but that is a policy decision that each community may need to make. It's an area where having an advisory committee might be helpful. End of Module D. Module E. Designing Installations. Slide: 1 Designing Installations This module will focus on designing installations in new construction and retrofitting an existing intersection. It parallels Chapter 6 in the APS Guide, with updates to reflect changes in the Access Board's Proposed Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Pubic Right-of-Way. Slide: 2 General Considerations In both new construction and retrofits, there are some factors that should be considered when designing the APS installation. Although consistency of design of APS throughout the city will make it easier for a blind pedestrian to navigate unfamiliar intersections, and might also assist in general public recognition and acceptance of APS, each manufacturer's device looks a little different from others. It is interesting to note that in some foreign countries – Australia, for example – all manufacturer's devices look and function identically. The only way you can tell which manufacturer's device it is, is to look on the back for the manufacturer's name. That is not happening in the U.S. though although many of the features are fairly consistent and that consistency should be adequate to allow people to use them effectively. As mentioned earlier, there are different requirements for some features, notably the walk indication that depend on the location of the devices on a corner. We'll talk more about that as we go through this module. Slide: 3 General Considerations: Location! Location! Location! The correct location of the APS pushbuttons and speakers is one of the most critical factors in the success of the APS operation, but commonly the biggest problem. The new types of APS depend on careful location to provide the information about the walk indication. When designing installations, other features of the corner design may affect the APS location and features. Corner features that may need to be considered include the curb radius, the width of right-of-way, the curb ramp design and location, and existing infrastructure. In new construction, you can and should control all of those features to implement the best possible design. In retrofit or alterations situations, there are often issues to be considered and worked with. Slide: 4 General Considerations: Location and WALK indication This diagram illustrates the ideal installation. The APS pushbuttons are mounted on separate poles, separated by 10 feet near the crosswalk line furthest from the center of the intersection. The poles are located close to the curb and within the crosswalk lines. There is adequate room behind the pole and curb ramp for a wheelchair user to continue around the corner on a level sidewalk. A rapid tick WALK indication is used in this situation; in other words, both APS make the same sound. Which one is sounding is determined by the location of the device in relation to the crosswalk. Slide: 5 General Considerations: Location and WALK indication At installations where the APS are not on two poles separated by 10 feet, a speech WALK indication is needed so the pedestrian can distinguish which APS is giving the signal. When a speech walk message is installed, other features are needed to clarify which street is being signaled: a pushbutton information message and a tactile arrow aligned with the direction of travel on the crosswalk. A pushbutton information message informs the pedestrian of the name of the street to be crossed. In order to accurately respond to the speech walk indication, the pedestrian needs to know the name of the street they are preparing to cross and people often do not provide every street name when giving directions. Slide: 6 New Construction In new construction, designers are required to meet the requirements in the proposed PROWAG (Proposed Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way) and in the MUTCD. The next several slides will review the specifics of these guidelines. Slide: 7 Proposed PROWAG Proposed PROWAG is the first regulation to consider. The Access Board released proposed Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way on July 26, 2011. The Access Board guidelines are focused on minimum standards for new construction. Proposed PROWAG is not a final rule yet, but it provides direction to municipalities regarding ADA requirements for public rights-of-way. In any APS installation, the requirements of proposed PROWAG should be the goal. This is true in retrofit as well as new construction. As described earlier, there may be more flexibility in retrofit or alterations situations, but the new construction guidelines should be used to the maximum extent feasible. Slide: 8 Proposed PROWAG - R209.1 General Proposed PROWAG requirements for APS are in section R209.1. This section states: Where pedestrian signals are provided at pedestrian street crossings, they shall include accessible pedestrian signals and pedestrian pushbuttons complying with sections 4E.08 through 4E.13 of the MUTCD (incorporated by reference, see R104.2). Operable parts shall comply with R403. So pedestrian signals should include accessible pedestrian signals and pushbuttons that comply with the MUTCD sections on pedestrian detectors and accessible pedestrian signals. Note also that operable parts are required to comply with the Proposed PROWAG section R403. The next few slides will discuss MUTCD in detail. Slide: 9 MUTCD 2009 New version of MUTCD published by FHWA on Dec. 16, 2009 and that is the version of the MUTCD referenced specifically in the Proposed PROWAG. The APS Guide has not yet been updated to reflect MUTCD changes, however, the following slides describe the sections referenced by Proposed PROWAG. Slide: 10 MUTCD 2009 In the 2009 edition of the MUTCD, specific guidance about the location of all pedestrian detectors, or pushbuttons, was added in section 4E.08. Later sections on APS refer back to this section. Slide: 11 MUTCD 2009 4E.08 Pedestrian detectors The guidance statement, paragraph 4 of 4E.08, is rather lengthy, but important to review in detail, mainly because there are so many details specified. First, it states the pushbuttons should be capable of easy activation and conveniently located near each end of the crosswalks. And goes on to provide specific criteria, with some exceptions that are provided in paragraphs 5 & 6. First, read through the criteria. Slide: 12 Pushbutton location From the MUTCD, note that the 6 criteria are preceded by: Except as provided in Paragraphs 5 and 6, pedestrian pushbuttons should be located to meet all of the following criteria (see Figure 4E-3): A and B require the pushbuttons to be next to an all-weather surface and where there is a wheelchair accessible route from the pushbutton to the ramp to provide access to the pushbutton for individuals who are wheelchair users. C specifies that the pushbutton should be between the edge of the crosswalk line furthest from the center of the intersection and the side of the curb ramp, and not greater than 5 feet from the crosswalk line. D is a measurement in the other direction and states that the pushbutton should be between 1.5 and 6 feet from the street. E specifies that the face of the pushbutton should be parallel to the crosswalk to be used and F specifies a mounting height of approximately 3.5 feet, but not more than 4 feet above the sidewalk. Slide: 13 MUTCD Pushbutton Locations In this graphic, the shaded area represents area that fits within the 2009 MUTCD guidance for locations of pushbuttons. Pushbuttons may be located within landscaping, as long as the location meets reach range requirements. Graphic description from the MUTCD: This figure contains an example of pushbutton location area. A legend at the bottom of the page shows a horizontal black arrow labeled "Downward Slope" and a diagonally striped shaded area labeled "Recommended Area for Pushbutton Locations." The following notes are included: Where there are constraints that make it impractical to place the pedestrian pushbutton between 1.5 feet and 6 feet from the edge of the curb, shoulder, or pavement, it should not be further than 10 feet from the edge of curb, shoulder, or pavement. Two pedestrian pushbuttons on a corner should be separated by 10 feet. This figure is not drawn to scale. Figure 4E-4 shows typical pushbutton locations. The figure shows a plan view of one corner of a 90-degree intersection of two streets, each with a sidewalk that is separated from the street by a green strip. Two sets of parallel white lines denoting crosswalks are shown, one horizontal to the left of the corner, and one vertical above the corner. On the corner radius, two curb-cut ramps are shown, one aligned with the east-west crosswalk and one aligned with the north-south crosswalk. A left-pointing black arrow is shown in the center of the horizontal ramp, and an upward-pointing black arrow is shown in the center of the vertical ramp, both denoting the downward slope. The recommended area marked for pushbutton locations over the sidewalk is shown as a dimensioned distance of 1.5 ft MIN. to 6 ft MAX from the edge of the curb and onto the sidewalk and 5 ft MAX. from the outside edge of each crosswalk. Slide: 14 4E.08: Paragraphs 5 & 6 Paragraphs 5 and 6 of 4E.08 provide two exceptions to the criteria for pushbuttons, both starting with the phrase, “where there are physical constraints that make it impractical to place the pushbutton”… Paragraph 5 refers to the level all-weather surface and states that the surface should be as level as possible. We'll talk later about what proposed PROWAG says about space at operating controls. Paragraph 6 allows for the pushbutton to be more than 6 feet from the curb, but not farther than 10 feet from the edge of curb, shoulder, or pavement. Slide: 16 MUTCD 2009 Figure 4E-4 Typical pushbutton locations Figure 4E-4 contains eight examples of typical pushbutton locations. For all the examples, a legend shows a horizontal black arrow labeled "Downward Slope," a black disk with a short stem labeled "Pedestrian Pushbutton," a crosshatch area labeled "Detectable Warning (per ADAAG)," and a diagonally striped area labeled "Landing Area (per ADAAG)." The following notes are included: This figure is not drawn to scale. These drawings are intended to describe the typical locations for pedestrian pushbutton installations. They are not intended to be a guide for the design of curb cut ramps. Figure 4E-3 shows the recommended area for pushbutton locations. Each example shows a plan view of one corner of a 90-degree intersection of two streets, each with a sidewalk. Midway on each section of street, two sets of parallel white lines denoting crosswalks are shown, one horizontal to the left of the corner, and one vertical below the corner. On the corner radius, two curb-cut ramps are shown, one aligned with the east-west crosswalk and one aligned with the north-south crosswalk. The first example, shown on this slide, is labeled "A – Parallel Ramps with Wide Sidewalk." It is shown with the corner denoted as a 30 ft corner radius and sidewalks as a dimension of 12 ft wide. Each sidewalk ramp leading to a crosswalk is shown with a horizontal black arrow on either side of it pointing to the center of the ramp, denoting a downward slope. The pedestrian pushbutton symbol is shown to the outside of each ramp and close to the street. A narrow strip of the ramp at the street edge is marked with crosshatching, denoting an area of detectable warning (truncated domes). The second example on this slide is labeled "B – Parallel Ramps with Narrow Sidewalk." It is shown with the corner denoted as a 30 ft corner radius and sidewalks as a dimension of 5 ft wide. Each level area leading to a crosswalk is shown with a horizontal black arrow on either side of it pointing to the center of the area, denoting a downward slope of the sidewalk to a relatively level turning space at the crosswalk. The pedestrian pushbutton symbol is shown at the end of each landing away from the street. A narrow strip of the ramp at the street edge is marked with crosshatching, denoting an area of detectable warning. Slide: 17 MUTCD 2009 Figure 4E-3 Typical pushbutton locations The third example, shown on this slide, is labeled "C – Parallel Ramps with Narrow Sidewalk and Tight Corner Radius." It is shown with the corner denoted as a 10 ft corner radius and sidewalks as a dimension of 5 ft wide. Each sidewalk level landing leading to a crosswalk is shown with a horizontal black arrow on either side of it pointing to the center of the level landing or turning space, denoting a downward slope of the sidewalk. The pedestrian pushbutton symbol is shown at the end of each level landing away from the street. A narrow strip of the landing at the street edge is marked with crosshatching, denoting an area of detectable warning. The fourth example is labeled "D – Perpendicular Ramps with Crosswalks Far Apart." It is shown with the corner denoted as a 30 ft corner radius and sidewalks as a dimension of 12 ft wide. The crosswalks are shown slightly farther away from the corner. Each sidewalk ramp leading to a crosswalk is shown with a vertical black arrow centered on each ramp and pointing toward the street, denoting a downward slope. At the top of the ramp, an area is shown marked with diagonal stripes, denoting a landing or turning space. The pedestrian pushbutton symbol is shown on the outside of each ramp at the point where the landing ends and the downward slope begins. A narrow strip of the ramp at the street edge is marked with crosshatching, denoting an area of detectable warning. Slide: 18 MUTCD 2009 Figure 4E-4 Typical pushbutton locations The first example on this slide is labeled "E – Perpendicular Ramps with Crosswalks Close Together." It is shown with the corner denoted as a 30 ft corner radius and sidewalks as a dimension of 12 ft wide. The crosswalks are shown close to the corner. Each sidewalk ramp leading to a crosswalk is shown with a vertical black arrow centered on each ramp and pointing toward the street, denoting a downward slope. The ramps point somewhat toward the center of the intersection, in order for the base to be square to the rounded corner and the ramp slope to be perpendicular to the gutter. The pedestrian pushbutton symbol is shown to the outside of each ramp, on the side away from the center of the intersection, and close to the street. At the top of each ramp away from the street is an area shown marked with diagonal stripes, denoting a landing. The pedestrian pushbutton symbol is shown on the outside of each ramp at the point where the landing ends and the downward slope begins. A narrow strip of the ramp at the street edge is marked with crosshatching, denoting an area of detectable warning. The second example is labeled "F – Perpendicular Ramps with Sidewalk Set Back from Road with Crosswalks Far Apart." It is shown with the corner denoted as a 30 ft corner radius and sidewalks as a dimension of 5 ft wide. The crosswalks are shown slightly farther away from the corner. A green strip is shown between the sidewalk and street. Each sidewalk ramp leading to a crosswalk is shown with a vertical black arrow centered on each ramp and pointing toward the street, denoting a downward slope on the green strip. At the top of each ramp farthest from the street is an area shown marked with diagonal stripes, denoting a landing. The pedestrian pushbutton symbol is shown on the outside of each ramp at the point where the landing ends and the downward slope begins. A narrow strip of the ramp at the street edge is marked with crosshatching, denoting an area of detectable warning. Slide: 19 MUTCD 2009 Figure 4E-4 Typical pushbutton locations The first example shown on this slide is labeled "G – Perpendicular Ramps with Sidewalk Set Back from Road with Crosswalks Close Together." It is shown with the corner denoted as a 30 ft corner radius and sidewalks as a dimension of 5 ft wide. The crosswalks are shown very close to the corner. A green strip denoting landscaping is shown between the sidewalk and street. Each sidewalk ramp leading to a crosswalk is shown with a vertical black arrow centered on each ramp and pointing toward the street, denoting a downward slope on the green strip. At the top of the ramps is an area marked with diagonal stripes, denoting a landing. The ramps are shown at right angles to each other with the landing area overlapping. The pedestrian pushbutton symbol is shown on the outside of each ramp at the point where the landing ends and the downward slope begins. Near the street, a narrow triangular strip of the ramp is marked with crosshatching, denoting an area of detectable warning, and a strip next to the street is shown marked with diagonal stripes, denoting a landing, or level area, showing the grade break of the ramp somewhat back from the curb line and at an angle to the curb. The second example on this slide is labeled "H – Perpendicular Ramps with Sidewalk Set Back from Road with Continuous Sidewalk Between Ramps." It is shown with the corner denoted as a 10 ft corner radius and sidewalks as a dimension of 5 ft wide. The crosswalks are shown close to the corner. A green strip is shown between the sidewalk and street, but sidewalk is shown between the ramps on the green strip. Each sidewalk ramp leading to a crosswalk is shown with a vertical black arrow centered on each ramp and pointing toward the street, denoting a downward slope on the green strip. At the top of each ramp farthest from the street is an area marked with diagonal stripes, denoting a landing. The ramps are shown at right angles to each other with a portion of each landing area overlapping the other. The pedestrian pushbutton symbol is shown on the outside of each ramp at the point where the landing ends and the downward slope begins. A narrow strip of the ramp at the street edge is marked with crosshatching, denoting an area of detectable warning. Slide: 20 MUTCD: APS Location Section 4E.10 of the MUTCD on APS Location states that pushbuttons should be located in accordance with the provisions of 4E.08 and as close as possible to the crosswalk line furthest from the center of the intersection and as close as possible to the curb ramp. Slide: 21 MUTCD: APS Location Section 4E.10 on APS location provides additional information about features that are required (“shall be provided”) when two APS are less than 10 feet apart, or on the same pole. These are the features we talked about earlier in talking about rapid tick or speech walk messages and the need for a speech pushbutton information message, to provide the correct street name, if speech walk messages are used. Slide: 22 MUTCD: APS Location An additional standard on location requires an additional pedestrian detector in the median if the pedestrian clearance time is only sufficient to cross to the median. Slide: 23 Some examples The following slides provide some examples of APS speaker location requirements. Slide: 24 MUTCD: APS Location MUTCD states the APS should be within 5 feet of the crosswalk line. Photo description: Photo shows crosswalk and APS device located on a pole approximately four feet further from the intersection than the crosswalk line. Slide: 25 MUTCD: APS Location Photo of an APS installed less than 6 feet back from the curb. Slide: 26 MUTCD: APS Location Photo of a APS pushbutton with a raised arrow aligned with the crosswalk line also shown in the photo. Slide: 27 MUTCD: APS Location Photo illustrates MUTCD on APS location with APS separated by at least 10 feet. It shows an intersection with sidewalks, and marked crosswalks, with a large radii and with two APS pushbuttons separated by approximately 20 feet. Each APS is near the crosswalk line, on the side of the intersection furthest from the intersection. The APS on the left was installed on the pole with the pedestrian signal heads. The APS on the right was added via a small stub pole, that looks like a piece of pipe painted yellow and bolted to the sidewalk. Slide: 28 MUTCD: APS Location Another illustration of separation of APS by at least 10 feet. An intersection with approximately 6 foot landscape strips and a relatively small radius corner is shown. Poles with APS installed are located in each corner of the landscape strip, in line with the crosswalk line furthest from center of the intersection. Slide: 29 Proposed PROWAG - R209.1 General Going back to proposed PROWAG and R200.1, its important to focus on the last sentence, Operable parts shall comply with R403. The next few slides will review the requirements in R403. Slide: 30 Proposed PROWAG - R403 Operable Parts R403.1 requires operable parts to meet the requirements of R.403 and there is an advisory note at R403.1 which says “Operable parts on accessible pedestrian signals and pedestrian pushbuttons (see R209) and parking meters and parking pay stations that serve accessible parking spaces (see R309.5) must comply with R403”, clarifying that pedestrian pushbuttons are operable parts and that these requirements do apply. R403 references 2 other sections, requiring that operable parts of devices meet the requirements of R404 and of R406. It also specifies that and maximum force required and that the pushbutton shall be operable with one hand and not require grasping or pinching. Note that these requirements for operable parts are essentially the same as the requirements for operable parts in the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Slide: 31 Proposed PROWAG – R404 Clear Spaces In Proposed PROWAG section R404 on Clear Spaces, R404.1 states that clear spaces shall comply with R404, with an advisory note that clear spaces are required at operable parts, including accessible pedestrian signals and pedestrian pushbuttons. Slide: 32 Proposed PROWAG – R404 Clear Spaces Additional sections of R404 address surfaces, size, knee and toe clearance, position, approach and maneuvering space. R404.2 provides specific information stating that surfaces are required to be firm, stable and slip resistant and free of surface level changes. They are allowed to have a running slope that is consistent with the grade of the adjacent pedestrian access route. Cross slope shall be 2 percent maximum. The size of the clear space is required to be 2.5 ft x 4.0 ft minimum. The clear space can be positioned for either a forward or side reach, so directly in front of the pushbutton or off to one side. The side of the clear space has to adjoin the pedestrian access route or another clear space. If the clear space is confined on all or part of three sides, additional maneuvering space is required. Slide: 33 Proposed PROWAG - R406 Reach Ranges R406 provides specific reach ranges, which mainly affects the height of the pushbutton and accessibility from a wheelchair. For a forward reach the pushbutton may be at a maximum height of 4 feet (48 inches) and a minimum height of 1.25 ft (15 inches). No obstructions are allowed beside the pole that someone has to reach over. For reaching from the side or what may be called a parallel approach, the same height restrictions apply. However, the reach can be over an obstruction but no further than 10 inches. Graphics from draft PROWAG illustrating the forward and side reach are on the next two slides. The minimum height would really not be appropriate for mounting pushbuttons and the MUTCD specifies between 36 inches and 48 inches. Slide: 34 Proposed PROWAG R406 Reach Ranges-Unobstructed forward reach This slide shows a graphic from Proposed PROWAG R406, labeled Reach Ranges-Unobstructed forward reach. It shows a wheelchair user facing a wall or pole, leaning forward in the wheelchair, with feet near the wall or pole, and reaching up with right hand to a point marked 1220 max 48, and reaching with the left hand to a point marked 380 min 15. Further labels are not provided on the graphic for the dimensions; they are in millimeters and inches,, 1220 mm or 48 inches. Slide: 35 Proposed PROWAG R406 Reach Ranges - side reach This slide shows a graphic from Proposed PROWAG R406, labeled Reach Ranges-Side reach. It shows a wheelchair user positioned beside a wall or pole, reaching out with the left hand to a point marked 1220 max 48, and and down to a point marked 380 min 15. A box is drawn on the floor beside the wheel between the wheel and the post or wall, labeled 255 max, 10 to show the maximum obstruction allowed. Further labels are not provided on the graphic for the dimensions; they are in millimeters and inches,, 1220 mm or 48 inches, 380 mm or 15 inches, and 255mm maximum or 10 inches. Slide: 36 Not in reach range - inaccessible Here's an example of a APS that is not within reach ranges and is inaccessible. It was installed in new construction that is unusable for a wheelchair user and difficult to find for a person who is blind or who has low vision. There is a curb along the edge of the sidewalk and the pole and APS are behind the curb in a grassy area, approximately 2 feet from the sidewalk. A man using a scooter is shown leaning and reaching for the pushbutton, which is at least a foot beyond his reach. Slide: 37 Within reach range This photo shows an example of a pushbutton that is within reach ranges. The pushbutton is on a stub pole that is beside the street and beside the level landing of the sidewalk at a crosswalk. A man is standing beside the pushbutton and reaching to push it. Slide: 38 Summary of Ideal Installation This is a summary of the basic information to know about an ideal APS installation. The APS should be within reach ranges from a level landing, with the face of device oriented parallel to crosswalk, no more than 6 feet back from curb, no more than 5 feet out of line with crosswalk, between curb ramp and the crosswalk line furthest from the intersection and no less than 10 feet between APS on same corner. Slide: 39 Retrofitting Existing Intersections The second situation that we'll cover is designing an APS installation as a retrofit at an existing intersection. The designer should strive to meet the specifications of the ideal installation (requirements of Draft PROWAG and MUTCD) to the “maximum extent feasible”. However, it's a good idea to document reasons for deviating from the proposed PROWAG (e.g., one pole instead of two separated poles, etc). If a lawsuit is filed, it can be helpful to be able to show issues considered in making the decision. As noted earlier, in response to a request, installation may be limited, with plans to provide additional features at a later date when construction or intersection renovation is planned. Slide: 40 When? When would a signal be retrofitted. It may be in response to a request from an individual for modifications. In addition, proposed PROWAG, R209.2, Alterations, states “existing pedestrian signals shall comply with R209.1 when the signal controller and software are altered or the signal head is replaced.” There have been a lot of questions about what this language means and expect that it will be clarified in a final rule. Slide: 41 Retrofitting: Site Evaluation When retrofitting a location with APS, it's important to first look at the pushbutton and pole locations. Here are some questions to consider: Are the pushbutton and pole locations currently within MUTCD and Proposed PROWAG locations? Is it possible to separate two pushbuttons by 10 feet or more? Is the existing wiring adequate? In considering potential locations, is each speaker going to be closer to the crosswalk it signals than the other speaker? Are the pushbuttons adjacent to level surface, with sufficient turning room for wheelchair? Slide: 42 Sometimes poles are well-located for retrofit installation Photo on this slide shows an intersection, viewed from overhead. Post-mounted vehicular signals are installed on each corner, and there are two poles on each corner each located by the crosswalk line furthest from the intersection. Installing APS at this intersection would be simpler because the poles are already well-located for retrofit installation. Slide: 43 Sometimes they're not.. Overhead view of another intersection where one pole is located on each corner, usually centered behind the sidewalk area and not well-located for either APS; The one on the bottom right in the photo might be in an acceptable position, but it's likely that stub poles will be needed on several corners to appropriately position the APS. Slide: 44 Retrofitting: Site Evaluation In the site evaluation, it's important to determine the pushbutton and pole locations, looking at whether a pole can be moved, or a stub pole relatively easily installed. It may be that one manufacturer's APS would work better than other models; wiring and installation requirements can vary. Whether tones or speech walk messages are used depends on the pole locations and proximity. Slide: 45 Retrofitting: Site Evaluation If poles are not at ideal locations, design will need to: Reposition poles or add stub poles . Use two APS on a single pole (speech WALK indications necessary). Use pedhead-mounted speakers and locate speakers near the associated crosswalks. In general, pedhead-mounted speakers would not be an option since pushbutton locator tones and vibrotactile indications are not provided. However, it might be considered in a retrofit if it meets the access needs of an individual who has requested it. As mentioned earlier, that would be a temporary fix until an intersection reconstruction. Slide: 46 Retrofitting: Needs Assessment It's important to also look at the intersection geometry during the first assessment. If there are islands or medians, that might affect the APS placement and need to be considered. Also, audible beaconing is an option that should be evaluated at this point in design, since it might affect speaker placement or the need for additional speakers. There is guidance on audible beaconing in the MUTCD and there are some situations where audible beaconing has potential for confusion, such as where there is split phasing and where there is a channelized right turn lane. And, if the installation is a response to an ADA request from an individual, it helpful to make sure at this point that the needs and concerns of that individual are being addressed in the installation. Slide: 47 Retrofitting: Needs Assessment In the needs assessment, designer should determine which features are suitable for the intersection and develop detailed installation plans. Many manufacturers ask for specifications and an intersection drawing in filling the order. The designer needs to have details on the location planned for the pushbuttons and infrastructure at the intersection. Mainly that's because it may be necessary to sent the equipment with appropriate arrows for the installation, ie a right arrow or a left arrow, which may vary depending on the installation location. APS Guide has a list of elements to include on a specification sheet. Slide: 48 Retrofitting: Wiring In retrofitting and looking at wiring, it's important to be aware that many APS need extra wiring between an APS control board and the pushbutton. Manufacturers may have several different models for different situations, controllers and pedheads. There are some types of APS that can be installed as a direct replacement for a typical pushbutton, but it's important to understand the wiring and features before placing the orders. A control unit/board may be installed in pedhead, the speaker unit, or the controller, depending on which device is being installed. Control board may include sound chips, and switches to control volume, walk indication functions, and microphone sensitivity. The availability of control board locations at the intersection may dictate what type or brand of APS will be possible. If extra wiring is needed, it may not be included from the manufacturer without additional being ordered. Slide: 49 Control board in pedhead This photo shows a signal technician on a ladder with the pedestrian signal head open. The APS control board is mounted in the back of the pedestrian signal head. Slide: 50 Microphone may also need to be installed in pedhead Although most manufacturers are moving away from this now, a microphone may also need to be installed in pedhead. Photo shows the bottom of a pedestrian signal head with a small circular opening. When the microphone is installed in the pedhead, the location and height of the pedhead may affect the APS response to ambient sound. Slide: 51 Braille Signs When braille is installed on the APS, the braille is supposed to indicate the name of the street controlled by the pushbutton. Generally, the braille is embossed on the sign that comes with the APS which includes an arrow, and the installation direction of the faceplate cannot be changed once the braille is added. Grade 2 Braille, which is a type of braille using contractions for many words, is recommended. Before ordering braille signs for the faceplate, determine the location of the pole and the side of the pole that the APS will be mounted on. Manufacturer probably needs to know that information before adding the braille. Slide: 52 Location of Tactile Arrow Location of tactile arrow can be important. In this photo, the pushbutton is a large distance away from the crosswalk that is straight ahead. A blind pedestrian using the tactile arrow for alignment would probably cross outside the crosswalk. Also, notice that there are two pushbuttons on the pole. A person crossing the street to the right of the photo would have to use a pushbutton that is set very far back from the curb, probably 20-25 feet. Slide: 53 Use of stub poles This photo shows a stub pole, beside the sidewalk on a landscaped island which is quite raised and landscaped with yucca plants (sharp pointy leaves). There is a wooden pole in the middle of the landscaping. The pushbutton was originally on that wooden pole, inaccessible from the sidewalk. Slide: 54 Stub poles There are two photos on this slide showing two APS installations on stub poles. The pole on the left has a substantial base, approximately a foot across, installed in the landscaping. The photo at right shows a slimmer pole that looks almost like a piece of pipe, installed in a sidewalk, with no noticeable base, although there is a new area paved at its base. Slide: 55 Geometry Issues In planning an installation, geometry issues should be considered. Those include unsignalized channelized right turn lanes and signalized channelized right turn lanes. There will be differences in the APS installation depending on the signalization. Slide: 56 Channelized turn island - signalized If the channelized turn lane is under yield or free flow control for vehicles, the APS should not be on the corner curb. Rather, the APS should be on the splitter island since that is the point from which the signal control applies. Additionally, it is important that the APS on the splitter island should not be easily heard by a blind pedestrian waiting on the corner curb, lest they think that the audible WALK indication applies to their crossing (of the turn lane). Graphic on this slide shows the two APS pushbuttons on the island for the crossings in two directions from the island and that there should not be an APS at the crosswalk from the curb to the island. Slide: 57 Channelized turn island - signalized If the crosswalk to the right turn island is signalized; then APS would be needed for that crossing too. In that case there would actually be three APS pushbuttons on the island. As much as possible, they should be installed on separated poles with sound levels carefully adjusted. Slide: 58 Signal Phasing Issues There are a few signal phasing issues that may impact the design of the APS installation. Those include exclusive pedestrian phasing, rest-in-walk phasing and pretimed signals. The next slides provide a little information about each of those. Rest-in-walk: the designer will have to determine how long the APS should give the WALK indication and how the WALK indication will be recalled once it has stopped Pedestrian timing on recall/pretimed: the designer will need to determine when and how long the APS should give the WALK indication; WALK should sound every time the visual walk comes up Slide: 59 Exclusive pedestrian phasing Exclusive pedestrian phasing may also be called Barnes Dance or scramble signals. Pedestrians who are blind particularly need information because there are no audible cues to when signal changes and may also need some directional information because there is no traffic moving during the pedestrian phase to use for guidance. The walk indication and tactile arrow for each crossing still important to provide directional information and placement of the APS devices can be particularly important. Slide: 60 Rest-in-walk If pedestrian signals rest in walk, there may be a 20 or 30 second walk interval and with the rapid tick walk indication, that could get a little irritating to neighbors. Most manufacturers allow setting the APS device so the audible walk indication sounds for a limited time, then returns to the locator tone. The MUTCD allows it to return to the locator tone after 7 seconds of audible walk indication. The walk indication can be recalled by another button press, if there's time left in pedestrian phase. This can be confusing to blind pedestrians, when the walk begins as soon as they push the button (sometimes) so some public education about the device functioning and settings may be helpful. Slide: 61 APS with pretimed signals or signals on recall Many people are confused about the installation of APS with pretimed signals or signals on recall, where pushing a button is not needed. The APS can function without a need for the button to be pressed. They can and should be set so the audible walk sound plays whenever the visual walk is displayed. Without that, many sighted people may not understand the APS functioning when the locator tone is sounding and there is never a walk. It doesn't hurt anything if someone presses a button when it's not needed either. Slide: 62 APS with Pretimed Signals Pretime signals are typically in downtown areas and some of the concerns that have been raised include that poles are in the wrong places and sidewalks are wide and engineers don't want to install pushbuttons where pushbutton actuation is not required. In addition, some voice concerns over noise. Noise can be controlled by careful adjustment of the APS. Slide: 63 APS with Pretimed Signals There are still benefits of APS in a downtown area for pedestrians who are blind and for all pedestrians. The audible WALK indication notifies all pedestrians of the start of walk interval. The locator tone guides blind pedestrians to the proper starting position (assuming poles and pushbuttons are located properly!). The tactile arrow provides some information about the location and direction of crosswalk and the vibrating surface notifies pedestrians with poor hearing of the start of the walk interval. In noisy downtowns, even pedestrians with normal hearing may like to use the vibrotactile information to confirm the audible information. End of Module E. Module E. Design Exercises. Slide: 1 Design Exercises – APS Location Photo description: Photo of group of people standing on a corner, looking toward one of the streets. One person is bending over a set of plans spread out on the wall beside the sidewalk. Two of them are wearing traffic vests. Slide: 2 East & Dilworth “Before” East and Dilworth “before”: “Before” photo at location where APS are to be added for both crossings. Photo description: Photo of intersection, looking across the major street, East Blvd; Minor street, Dilworth, is on the left, parallel to the photographer's direction of travel in the photo. There is a pushbutton on the pedestrian signal pole located to the left of the sidewalk, before crossing the other sidewalk, for crossing straight-ahead across the major street. There is no pushbutton to cross the road to the left in the photo. There is also a wooden pole on the right side of the minor street sidewalk, on the street side of the major street sidewalk. Slide: 3 East & Dilworth “Before” Where could APS be located? Other improvements are not planned here. What's wrong with the current location of the pushbutton for crossing East Boulevard? It's on the wrong side of crosswalk- should be on side furthest from center of intersection It's too far back from street Could the pushbutton for East go on the wooden pole to the right of the sidewalk? It is 1) On the side of the ramp furthest from the intersection 2) May be a little more than 6 feet from the street, but MUTCD allows that in exception, may be up to 10 feet 3) Level sidewalk near pole 4) Reach range for wheelchair user over grass should be adequate for side reach 5) Separated from other APS by at least 10 feet (depends on where you put the other APS) This is a wooden utility pole and in this city, signals are often mounted on the utility poles; in some municipalities, that is not allowed. Slide: 4 East & Dilworth “Before” Where could APS be located? Other improvements are not planned here. What's wrong with the current location of the pushbutton for crossing East Boulevard? It's on the wrong side of crosswalk- should be on side furthest from center of intersection. It's too far back from street. Could the pushbutton for East go on the wooden pole to the right of the sidewalk? It is 1) On the side of the ramp furthest from the intersection, 2) May be a little more than 6 feet from the street, but MUTCD allows that in exception, may be up to 10 feet, 3) Level sidewalk near pole, 4) Reach range for wheelchair user over grass should be adequate for side reach, 5) Separated from other APS by at least 10 feet (depends on where you put the other APS) . This is a wooden utility pole and in this city, signals are often mounted on the utility poles; in some municipalities, that is not allowed. Slide: 5 East & Dilworth “Before” Could the pushbutton for East go on the wooden pole to the right of the sidewalk? Slide: 6 East & Dilworth “Before” Could the pushbutton for East go on the wooden pole to the right of the sidewalk? Yes. 1) It is on the side of the ramp furthest from the intersection , 2) It is less than 6 feet from the street. If more, MUTCD allows that in exception, it could be up to 10 feet, 3) There is a level sidewalk near pole, 4) ) It is within the reach range for a wheelchair user over grass - side reach , 5) It is separated from other APS by at least 10 feet, depending on other APS location. This is a wooden utility pole and in this city, signals are often mounted on the utility poles; in some municipalities, that is not allowed. Slide: 7 East & Dilworth “Before” Then where should the pushbutton for crossing Dilworth be? Dilworth is the street to the left in this photo. Slide: 8 East & Dilworth “Before” Will this pedestrian signal pole work well for installation of APS for crossing Dilworth? Slide: 9 East & Dilworth “Before” Then where should the pushbutton for crossing Dilworth be? Pedestrian signal pole seems to be located well for APS for Dilworth. 1) it's on the side of the crosswalk furthest from the intersection , 2) It's no more than 6 feet from the street Slide: 10 East & Dilworth “Before” Be sure to install pushbutton on side of pole toward intersection, and parallel to direction of travel on the crosswalk Slide: 11 East & Dilworth “After” East and Dilworth “After: Photo description: Same intersection, same perspective after APS installation. Pushbutton for Dilworth (minor street) crossing was installed on the pedestrian signal pole: note that it is on the side facing the intersection and the sidewalk for that street, parallel to the crosswalk. The APS for crossing the major street was installed on the wooden pole; the APS faces the intersection and the face (and pushbutton and tactile arrow) is parallel to the crossing of the major street. Installation on a utility pole might not be possible in some jurisdictions, but this pole was well-located for the crossing and the option should certainly be investigated in situations such as this. Both APS/pushbuttons are reachable from the paved sidewalk and level landing area, important for people with mobility impairments. Note that these poles were over 10 feet apart. Although there is a need for detectable warnings and ramp improvements, they were not within the scope of this project which was just to respond to a request for APS for both crossings here. Slide: 12 East & Dilworth “Before” East and Dilworth “Before: “Before” photo at location where APS are to be added for both crossings; Same intersection as previous slide but different corner. Photo description: The major street, East Boulevard, is to the left and camera view is looking across minor street, Dilworth. There is a pushbutton on a wooden pole for the major street crossing. That pushbutton is located near the minor street, on the street side of the sidewalk and back side of major street sidewalk. Pavement extends for approximately 20 feet along curb of major street. No pushbutton is provided to cross the minor street, which is straight ahead in the photo. A fire hydrant is in the landscape strip in the left foreground beside the major street. Where should APS be located for these crossings? Other improvements are not planned here. Although need for detectable warnings and ramp improvements could be discussed, they are not within the scope of this project. Slide: 16 East & Dilworth “Before” What's wrong with this location (on the wooden pole beside Dilworth) for the APS and pushbutton for crossing East Blvd? Slide: 24 East & Dilworth “Before” But wait! Could you put two pushbuttons on that pole that is currently there? You could, in a retrofit situation, if it works for the person requesting it. You'd need speech walk messages and pushbutton information messages, and documentation of your reasons for that decision. The greater distance from the curb might mean the locator tone and walk indication need to be somewhat louder so a person waiting at the crosswalk for East could hear it well. Slide: 25 East & Dilworth “After” Here's the decision made by the agency in this case, which was to install a new pedestrian signal pole which located the pedestrian signal in a more centered location over the East Boulevard crosswalk. From the same perspective as previous slide, this is looking across Dilworth after APS installation. The pushbutton for Dilworth street crossing was installed on the wooden utility pole. Note that it is on the side facing the intersection and the sidewalk for that street, parallel to the crosswalk (different location on the pole than the previous pushbutton). The APS for crossing the major street, East Blvd., was installed on a new pedestrian signal pole, about 3 feet back from the major street, near the beginning of the landscape strip along the major street (near the outside line of the crosswalk). . Gas lines and water lines were carefully avoided in the installation. The APS faces toward the intersection and the face is parallel to the crossing of the major street Both APS/pushbuttons are located in line with the crosswalk they control. Each is reachable from the paved sidewalk and level landing area, important for people with mobility impairments. Slide: 26 East & Euclid “Before” East & Euclid “before”. Here is the before” photo at location where APS are to be added for both crossings, along the same corridor as the previous intersection. The photo of the intersection is looking across the major street, East Boulevard. The minor street, Euclid, is on the right, parallel to the photographer's direction of travel in the photo. There is a pushbutton for the East Boulevard street crossing on a wooden pole on the right of the 4 foot wide sidewalk, in a landscape strip that is approximately 8 feet wide. That pushbutton is probably 25 feet back from the curb of East Boulevard. There is no pushbutton to cross the Euclid, the minor street to the right in the photo. The corner is very rounded with obvious incursion of large vehicles over the low curb into the landscape area creating a big puddle and mud along curb. A bus route turns right here from East onto Euclid. Also, there is a low wall at the back of the sidewalk, which is designated as historic and cannot be moved. Slide: 27 East & Euclid “Before” The ideal locations would be on two separated poles, approximately where stars have been added to the photo, which would put the APS between the curb ramp and the edge of the crosswalk, no more than 5 feet outside the crosswalk area, on the side furthest from the intersection, and next to a level area. Other improvements are not planned here. Does the bus route making this turn affect pole location decision? Do you think it should? And the wall on the left of the sidewalk is a “protected historic” wall which might limit installation choices. There is a sidewalk in front of it along East Boulevard, as well as a landscape strip which is not visible in this photo. The crosswalk lines for crossing Euclid are very close to the intersection. Are there other options? Slide: 28 East & Euclid “Before” Should you put just one pole with two APS, in the middle of the two crosswalks and the paved area? If so, it's important to be sure to leave adequate clearance between the pole and the wall (at least 4 feet). It would also need speech messages, and pushbutton information messages. But is there room to put a pole there and also have a level space beside the pole in order for a wheelchair user to be able to push the buttons? And it's also important to document why it was impractical/infeasible to put two separated poles. Slide: 29 East & Euclid “After” Here's the after photo of this corner of East & Euclid. The photo is of the same corner from the same angle, but taken somewhat closer to East Boulevard. The landscape strip along curb of Euclid has been paved to a location about 20 feet back from the intersection. Two new pedestal poles have been added with the pushbutton and APS to cross the East near the street and in line with the outside crosswalk line, at the edge of the landscape strip. The pole for the Euclid Ave street crossing is about a foot off the curb, within the newly paved area, and in line with the minor street crossing line. The APS installed in this location are blue box-like devices protruding about four inches from the pole. Two new pedestal poles with APS and pedestrian signals were installed at this location. Quite a bit of concern was expressed by some individuals in the signal department about the buses hitting the pole because it was obvious that they had been riding up on the curb previously. The curb radii was not changed or reconstructed as part of the project, yet the pole and APS remained in place without being hit for several years (we haven't checked lately so can't confirm if that has continued). Slide: 30 Photo description: Looking at crosswalk across wide street, with cross street on the left in the photo. A signal pole is located on the right side of the photo, right in line with the crosswalk line furthest from the center of the intersection. On the pole is a pedestrian signal for the street to the left in the photo. Across the street, two signal poles are visible, each one in line with the crosswalk line furthest from the intersection for that crossing. This is an example of a location where the APS installation seems pretty simple. The pole is right in line with the crosswalk. If you look on the other side of street, there are two poles that are well-located for APS installation, as shown with circles in the next slide. There is one tricky aspect of this installation. Any ideas? Slide: 31 Same photo, with the three poles circled. Poles are quite well-located. What else needs to be considered here? Slide: 32 In this situation, the pedestrian signal head on the pole is pointing toward the street to the left, while a pushbutton on this pole would be for the crossing in front of the photographer. Pedestrian signal heads need to be moved and rewired, if the APS is the type that is wired to pedestrian signals. It's essential that careful attention is paid to wiring of the APS and pedestrian signal so the audible signal conveys the correct message. Slide: 33 Two on one pole Photo description: Looking across street, with cross street to the right. There is a pedestrian walking across the street in the crosswalk. On the right in the photo, there's a pole with two pushbuttons on it. One is in line with the crossing in front and the other points toward the right. Two APS on one pole often seem simpler, but can lead to problems. Very seldom is a pole well-located for both crosswalks at a corner and usability of the APS is typically not good for both crossings. Here's an example where, in new construction, two APS were installed on one pole. The one shown in this photo is not too bad; it's within five feet of the crosswalk line, although it's the crosswalk line closest to the intersection and it's about 10 feet back from the curb. Because there are two on one pole, the APS need to have speech walk messages and pushbutton information messages. However, see the next slide to see the situation for the other crosswalk at this corner. Slide: 34 Photo description: Looking at the same intersection, but photographer turned to face the street that was on the right in the previous slide. A large pole is on the left in the photo, beyond it is a street. Two APS devices are mounted on that pole, one pointing toward the street to the left and one point across the street in front of the photographer. Looking across the street in front, the crosswalk begins approximately 10 feet to the right of the pole and goes straight across the street from the point, at an angled to the photographers viewpoint. The APS for the crosswalk shown in this photo is located more than 10 feet outside the crosswalk lines, toward the intersection, and an attempt has been made to point the arrow toward the destination within the crosswalk on the other side of the street so it is angled on the pole toward the right. It is within 6 feet of the curb. However, a person standing by the APS is not visible to cars turning right because the pole is between the pedestrian and the vehicles and the pole blocks the sound of the vehicles as well. If the blind pedestrian goes and finds the curb ramp, the APS is not audible because it's so far away. Basically, good equipment has been installed in a way that doesn't work well to provide the accessible information. Slide: 35 What's wrong? Photo of intersection looking across one street with other street to left in photograph. Two APS are shown mounted on one pole in the right side of the photo, to the right of the crosswalk. A fire hydrant is located between the crosswalk and the pole along the curb. The pole is approximately 25 feet from the street shown on the left in the intersection. Slide: 36 What's wrong? Looking across street straight ahead in photo, 1) APS devices/pushbuttons are way more than 15 feet outside crosswalk; a person may start crossing from beside the pushbutton and would be outside the crosswalk area, 2) The fire hydrant is an obstacle in searching for pushbutton Slide: 37 What's wrong? Looking at The APS is more than 20 feet from the street and crosswalk; APS has to be very loud to be audible at crosswalk departure location the street to the left in the photo. Speech messages would be harder to hear and understand. Slide: 38 How about this installation? Is it OK? Photo description: Looking across wide street at crosswalk in a downtown city area (wide sidewalks). The cross street is on the left in the photo. There is a curb ramp with detectable warnings (truncated domes) that leads into crosswalk on left side of photo. On right of photo, near the street and the curb, is a pole with an APS on it. How about this installation? Is it OK? Slide: 39 There is a level landing by the pushbutton. A box has been added to the screen to show the location of that level area between the photographer and the pole. Slide: 40 There is an accessible path to the curb ramp from that pushbutton area. Arrow on screen shows that path, going to the left to the top of the ramp and down to the street. Slide: 41 Yes, it is OK. As noted on the slide, it meets all the criteria of the MUTCD for pushbutton placement: There is a level landing by pushbutton And an accessible path to the ramp , 3) The pushbutton is between the edge of the crosswalk line (extended) farthest from the center of the intersection and the side of a curb ramp (if present), but not greater than 5 feet from said crosswalk line; 4) It's also between 1.5 and 6 feet from the edge of the curb, shoulder, or pavement , 5) And with the face of the pushbutton parallel to the crosswalk to be used, 6) And at a mounting height of approximately 3.5 feet, but no more than 4 feet, above the sidewalk , although there could be some question about whether the MUTCD allows the pushbutton to be outside the crosswalk line. Slide: 42 And this one? Looking at crosswalk, with cross street on right. Ramp is centered on the crosswalk, with the flare reaching to a pole where the APS is mounted, near the street in line with crosswalk line furthest from the intersection. A pair of poles are on the left in the photo, directly behind the pole where the pushbutton is mounted. This is not ideal, why not? Slide: 43 And this one? And this one? What's ok? 1) Pushbutton is between 1.5 and 6 ft of the curb , 2) Between ramp and crosswalk line furthest from the intersection , 3) Face of button is aligned with direction of travel Slide: 44 And this one? BUT: No level area within reach of the pushbutton . Doesn't seem to be an accessible route to the ramp from the pushbutton Slide: 45 Photo of large corner with wide sidewalks and landscaping at the corner. A mast arm pole is positioned in the landscaped area, between two wide crosswalks. There are two APS on that pole, and the walk indication is a speech message “walk sign is on”. What's the problem here? Slide: 46 If speech messages are used, it's important to include street name in the walk message, or it's impossible to discern which one is sounding. A person standing at either crosswalk hearing “walk sign is on” would not know which crosswalk has the walk interval. In addition, message would have to be very loud in order to be heard at the crosswalk. If someone is using vibrotactile information there, they probably wouldn't reach the edge of the street before the end of the WALK since the pole is so far back from the crosswalk. It's a long way to either crosswalk start location from the APS. This doesn't meet requirements of MUTCD for pushbutton location. Slide: 47 This is basically new construction (reconstructed corner). The APS should be on separated poles, on the side of the crosswalk furthest from the intersection, between 1.5 and 6 feet from the edge of the street. Stars have been inserted on the photo at those suggested locations. Slide: 48 Photo description: Is this installation good? See any problems with it? Slide: 49 It meets all requirements, pole with 10 feet of the curb, between curb ramp and crosswalk line furthest from the center of the intersection, with face of device parallel to direction traveled on the crosswalk. There is one issue. Slide: 50 One issue; do you see it? The sign protrudes too far from the pole (more than 4 inches), right at head height, where someone might be leaning toward pole to push the pushbutton.Slide: 51 Issues here? Slide: 52 Issues here? Locations and alignment look pretty good, however, there is no level area at either pushbutton. Is there a relatively simple solution? Slide: 53 Issues here? Pave an area behind the ramp Slide: 54 Where to place APS on this corner? Photo description: Looking at crosswalk across 6 lane wide street with a median that begins on the left side of the crosswalk. Cross street is on the right side of the photo. Curb ramp with detectable warnings is in the middle of the crosswalk. The pushbutton and pedestrian signal is mounted on a pole on the left of the crosswalk, about 2 feet back from the curb and about 3 feet outside the crosswalk lines. Slide: 55 Not difficult here, is it? The pole is on the side of the crosswalk furthest from the intersection, within 5 feet of the crosswalk, less than 6 feet from the curb, has a level area beside it. Put the APS on the existing pole. Slide: 56 Where to place APS on this corner? Looking a crosswalk across a 2 lane street with cross street on the left in the photo. Curb ramp is in the middle of the crosswalk and aimed out toward the center of the intersection, a signal pole is located on the right side of the crosswalk, approximately 4 feet outside the crosswalk lines, less than 2 feet from the curb. A fire hydrant is located beside the signal pole, between the signal pole and the crosswalk. Slide: 58 Probably the best plan is to install a stub pole at the location indicated by the star, near the top of the ramp, in line with the crosswalk line, obviously with consideration of underground water lines and other features. Slide: 59 Where to place APS on this corner? Photo description: Looking across same street from the other end of the crosswalk. Major street is on the right in the photo. The crosswalk is in a wide sidewalk with a curb ramp angled toward the intersection in the center of the crosswalk. The nearest pole is on the left of the photo along the curb line of the minor street approximately 15 feet from the crosswalk line. Manhole covers are visible in the sidewalk between the crosswalk and the pole. Slide: 60 The existing pedestrian signal pole is too far outside the crosswalk to be usable. Looks like there are utilities beneath the sidewalk, judging from manhole covers. Slide: 61 Probably the best plan is to install a stub pole at the location indicated by the star, near the top of the ramp, in line with the crosswalk line, obviously with consideration of underground utilities. Slide: 62 Or another solution? And here's another point for thought and discussion, in a retrofit situation. The first crossing in this group, on top left in this slide, was across a major 6 lane street with pedestrian actuation required. The pole was well-located for APS installation. The second crossing (last two photos), had “issues” with the pole location on both ends of the crosswalk, but the crossing was across a two lane street, the minor street. In all probability, the minor street is much easier to cross using traffic sounds, than the major street, and is on recall currently, so there's no pushbutton to push. Maybe just installing APS to cross the major will resolve the access issues, until other work is planned at the intersection. It could be considered. End of Module E Design Exercises. Module F. Installation, Operation, and Maintenance. Slide: 1 Installation, Operation, and Maintenance This module focuses on the on-site work of mounting, wiring, adjusting, and maintaining the APS units. It is directed at the signal technicians who will be doing the hands-on work. For municipalities use contractors to handle the APS installation, this module will be useful to inform the city staff how to check the work of the contractor (what to look for). This information is covered in Chapter 7 of Accessible Pedestrian Signals: Guide to Best Practice. Slide: 2 Review of Installation Guidelines Previous modules presented instruction on how APS installations should be designed to provide the information to the pedestrian. In review, the basic principles are to provide information about the presence and location of pushbuttons, information about the WALK indication, and information about which crossing is being signaled. In the design and installation of APS, one recurring theme of this instruction, and the research, is that there the APS sounds should be quieter and there should only be as much sound as needed in the environment to provide the information. Too much sound can make it more difficult for a person who is blind to hear the traffic. Slide: 3 Review of Installation Guidelines Preceding modules presented this image as an illustration of the ideal APS installation. Note that the pushbuttons poles are located at the top corner of the ramp where they are next to a level surface (for wheelchair users) but within reach of a pedestrian waiting at the curb. It is important that the signal technician or APS installer understand the goals of the installation and the functioning of the APS. Note again that there must be adequate passage room between the pushbutton and the back of the sidewalk for wheelchair users to bypass the pushbutton and the ramp if they are just continuing around the corner on the sidewalk Slide: 4 Installation: Pre-installation Pre-installation, the technician who will be installing the APS should conduct an inspection and check to make sure that the conditions at the intersection match the conditions that were expected in the installation design. Specifically, the existing wiring should be checked to confirm that concurs with the specifications of the installation design. In addition, new users/installers should review all instructions. Sometimes an APS can be wired in such a way that it seems to work to the uninformed installer, but is providing incorrect or inappropriate information. Example: An APS was installed so that the vibrator was wired to the WALK indication wires. When the technician tested it after installation, it gave a rapid tick sound (due to the vibrating arrow) for the WALK indication, when it was actually supposed to give a speech message. Unless someone had realized that the design called for a speech WALK indication, the device would have continued to operate in a way that was contrary to its design (rapid tick instead of speech message). Setting up the APS equipment first in the shop is the best way that other technicians have found to get familiar with the devices and the wiring and adjustment procedures. Technicians are encouraged to consult the manufacturer with questions about the APS installation. Note that some distributors are not equipped with the necessary information or experience to adequately address installation problems. It's been suggested that the technician take the phone number of the manufacturer with them to the APS installation site. It is often useful for a manufacturer to talk a technician through problems at the site. Slide: 5 Installation: Pushbuttons The next several slides will address specifications for various parts of the APS installation. The pushbutton must be placed so that a wheelchair user can reach it. Although the MUTCD specifies that pushbuttons be installed at a height no greater than 48 inches, a strict measurement in relation to the pole can sometimes lead to a poor installation. The user should always be kept in mind. Examples: in the picture on the left, the pushbutton has technically been installed at the correct distance from the base of the pole, but because the pole is not installed at sidewalk level, the pushbutton is unreachable by a wheelchair user who is on the sidewalk and difficult to reach for someone who is not tall. In the picture on the left, the pushbutton is so far off the sidewalk in the bushes that it is not usable. In addition, barriers have been stored between the sidewalk and the pushbutton. Slide: 6 Installation: Tactile/Vibrating Arrows If pedestrians needs to have a hand on the tactile arrow to feel the vibrotactile walk indication, the APS device must be near the curb and crosswalk. The tactile arrow should NOT point to where the crosswalk begins (i.e., where the crosswalk hits the sidewalk). MUTCD requires that the tactile arrow be aligned with direction of the crosswalk. The arrow should be pointed PARALLEL to the crosswalk. Slide: 7 Installation: Tactile/Vibrating Arrows If two APS are mounted on a single pole, proper insulation may be needed to prevent vibrations from traveling. If the devices are touching each other, the vibration of one device may be felt in the other device. This can be a greater issue for metal poles. Installer should ake sure the units aren't touching each other. Slide: 8 Installation: Shape and Type of Mounting Pole In the photo on the left, the APS is mounted on a square pole and correctly aligned parallel to the crosswalk. In the photo on right, the APS is mounted on a square pole and is pointed (incorrectly) toward the center of the intersection. In that situation, the installer should have used an alternate solution, such as a stub pole or a mounting bracket on the square pole that would align the face of the APS, and its tactile arrow, parallel to the crosswalk. Slide: 9 Installation: Shape and Type of Mounting Pole In general the APS devices are designed to be mounted on metal poles with wires coming in the back of the devices from the pole. When installed on wooden utility poles, modifications may be needed. These photos show how some cities have dealt with the issue of installing APS on wooden poles. IN the photo on the left, the wiring is run down the back of the pole in a conduit and a hole is drilled through the pole to the device. In the photo on right, a hole has been drilled into the bottom casing of the APS and a metal fitting added for the wire. If modifications are made, it's important to weather-proof the devices (i.e., neoprene grommets) if you drill into the device and be aware that drilling through the casing might void the warranty. Slide: 10 Installation: Braille When braille labels are added to the device, proper installation is important. Braille dots should be raised, not indented. Some manufacturers paste a standard print label on the back of the faceplate so that the installer will know what the braille says. Some installers have mistakenly installed the APS so that this label is showing and the braille is reversed. (read the directions!) It's also important to check that the proper faceplate has been installed for each street. It may be best to have a Braille reader check the braille for correctness. Slide: 11 Installation: Microphones All of the APS devices include a microphone to measure sound and adjust the volume of the APS devices to respond to the ambient sound. Many of the APS devices include a microphone in the pushbutton housing, but some have a separate microphone that may be mounted in the pedestrian signal head or on a signal pole. If the microphone is mounted too far away from intersection and the crosswalk, it will not adequately sample ambient sound where pedestrian is waiting and the resulting tones may be too quiet or too loud. Slide: 12 Installation: Speakers Installers need to recognize that the speaker location provides information to the blind user and is an important part of the installation. A speaker that is located incorrectly and poorly oriented may provide ambiguous information about which crossing has been signaled and may result in individuals failing to begin or end crossings on time and within the crosswalk lines. This can be particularly a problem with overhead speaker installations, but can also be a problem with the pushbutton-integrated speaker devices. . Slide: 13 Installation: Speakers The general rule for the speaker locations is that the speaker should always be closest to the crosswalk which it signals. If the installer is not aware of the issues and careful to install the devices correctly, they may be installed incorrectly, particularly if the installer is focused on the sidewalk locations rather than the crosswalks. Speakers may not be located on the pedhead that controls the same crosswalk, depending on the pedestrian signal head location. The pedhead closest to one crosswalk may signal the perpendicular crosswalk. In this case, speaker should be mounted on pedhead for perpendicular crosswalk. Slide: 14 A speaker should be closest to the crosswalk that it signals Here's an example of APS devices that are located on the wrong poles. If the sound environment is not considered, it may seem like a reasonable installation, but the truth is that it will provide a confusing and incorrect message to a blind or visually impaired pedestrian. A person who is blind, waiting to cross the street straight ahead in the photo is going to be waiting right beside the APS device and speaker for the crosswalk to the right so that speaker will be more audible and likely to lead to an error. Photo description: Looking across a street in front of photographer from the sidewalk, with street parallel to photographer on right. There is a pushbutton with arrow pointing toward the right side of the photo (toward parallel street) on a pole that is on the left side of the photo, beside the landing and curb ramp for the street in front of the photographer. Yellow arrow and circle are added to photo to show direction more clearly. Another pushbutton is located on a large signal pole in forefront of the photo, with arrow pointing toward street in front of photographer, close to the ramp for street to the right of the photographer, but more than 15 feet from the street the arrow on the APS is pointing toward. Slide: 15 Solution: move APS and rewire Here's what needs to be done to fix that situation. Same photo as previous slide with callout boxes added, next to pushbutton on left is “move pushbutton to side of pole, facing intersection” and yellow arrow showing direction that arrow on pushbutton should point, across street directly in front of photographer. Pushbutton on right has callout box and arrow also, saying “move pushbutton to other side of pole, facing intersection” A box at the bottom appears saying “check ability to reach pushbuttons from level landing; check arrows and walk indications carefully” Slide: 16 Here's a photo of the same intersection after the problem was corrected. They found that an additional pedestrian signal pole was needed because the signal pole was too far back for wheelchair reach ranges. Slide: 17 Installation: Speakers When looking at speakers mounted on pedheads,the same issues need to be considered. In the photo on left, the pushbutton controls the crosswalk that goes out and to the right (passes in front of those cars). The pedhead on that pole signals a different crosswalk (goes back and to the right). Thus, the speaker that gives the WALK indication for the crosswalk controlled by the pushbutton has been placed on the pedhead closest to the crosswalk, however, it's the pedhead for the other crosswalk. The speaker could be mounted there, but it needs to be wired to the other pedhead! The diagram show an overhead view of this problematic setup. Each pushbutton has been placed incorrectly on the pole with the pedhead that controls the perpendicular crosswalk. Slide: 18 Installation: Speakers If the installation design does not call for audible beaconing, the overhead speaker should be pointed straight down. This directs the sound at the pedestrian waiting location and prevents the sound from being easily from locations to which it does not apply. If the installation design does call for audible beaconing, the overhead speaker should be pointed toward the centerline of the street, in the middle of the crosswalk. Slide: 19 Adjusting Sound Settings These are three settings that typically will need to be adjusted and checked on the APS device after it's installed: Volume of the pushbutton locator tone Volume of the WALK indication Microphone sensitivity (response to ambient sound) For different devices, these may be adjusted in different manners. Refer to manufacturer's instructions. Slide: 20 Adjusting Sound Settings These photos show an APS in which the volume is adjusted by turning small screws on the control board, which was mounted in the pedhead. Slide: 21 Adjusting Sound Settings Some APS are designed to be adjusted with remote handheld devices, as shown in the photo above. While instructions may say to operate from 3 feet away, many users have found that the handheld device needs to be as close as possible to the APS; bright sunlight can affect the communication of the device so shield from sun if problems occur. Some manufacturers allow you to configure all the devices at an intersection by interacting with only one unit. Slide: 22 Adjusting Sound Settings When adjusting the sound settings, it's important to realize that signals that are too loud are a common problem. When the APS locator tone and walk indication is too loud, it prevents the pedestrian from: Hearing critical traffic sounds for alignment Determining that cars have stopped Hearing cars that may be turning across their path Localizing on the signal source The APS sounds are not intended to be heard all the way across the street, unless audible beaconing is installed at that location. Audible beaconing may be used for locations of skewed crosswalks, and where the street is very wide, but would only be called “on request” by an extended button press. Slide: 23 Adjusting Sound Settings When an APS is too loud, it is annoying to neighbors Do not turn on APS until the installer has time to adjust the volume; default volumes may be too loud. If an installation is completed one day, and sound adjustment is not done until a few days later, that few days of annoying operation can have long lasting effects on its acceptance by neighbors. Once complaints start, it's hard to get them stopped, even if volume is corrected Slide: 24 Adjusting Sound Settings Here are the basics of how the aps sound should be adjusted. The WALK indication must be heard at the beginning of the crosswalk (departing point for pedestrians). The locator tone and walk indication are the same volume, unless there special activation to call audible beaconing which would boost the walk indication and locator tone during the pedestrian phase only. The maximum volume is 100 dB, although basically that's set by the manufacturers, rather than the installer. The MUTCD states the volume should be set to be 5DbA maximum over ambient sound. If may be necessary to take care with adjusting sound if two APS are on one pole. They can amplify each other. If may be necessary to turn off one APS to adjust sound on the other. Then need to evaluate their functioning to make sure they are responding appropriately. Slide: 25 Adjusting Sound Settings The functioning of APS, ie the short duration of the tones, do not allow the sound to be accurately measured with a sound level meter. A meter requires an extended tone to evaluate the sound and cannot measure sound from the locator tone or WALK indication. Basically, it's up to the installers to evaluate, by listening from different locations on the corner, whether the volume is set properly. The locator tone and WALK indication should be heard within 6-12 feet, of the pole where the APS is mounted, or to building line, whichever is less (MUTCD). If audible beaconing is installed, it should be evaluated from centerline of street Slide: 26 Adjusting Sound Settings When adjusting sound settings, some issues to consider include split phasing, nearby sound reflectors and the presence of channelized turn lanes. Each of these should affect how the sound is adjusted. In a location with split phasing, the WALK indication for the east crosswalk should not be easily heard at the west crosswalk. With that protected left turn, it is not the appropriate time for pedestrians on the west crosswalk to cross. Make sure to verify the audibility in person. Where there are nearby sound reflectors, such as buildings, the reflection may cause a different effect than what is desired. Make sure to listen to the device in the field to avoid these issues. Where there are channelized turn lanes, the WALK indication for pedestrians crossing the street from the island should not be easily heard by pedestrians waiting to cross from the curb to the island. If vehicles in the turn lane do not have to stop (yield control only), blind pedestrians who assume that the WALK indication applies to the turn lane may make a dangerous mistake. The MUTCD cautions against using audible beaconing for the longer crosswalks at intersections with split phasing or channelized turn lanes, since the beacon may be heard at locations to which it does not apply (as described above) Slide: 27 Added backplate to direct sound Some agencies have developed modifications for certain locations as shown in the photos on this slide. The APS speakers are aimed out the rear of the device, assuming the device will be installed on a large pole which will reflect the sound back toward the waiting pedestrian. When installed on smaller poles, the sound was mainly projected behind the APS, toward the nearby stores and buildings and not very audible at the curb. An aluminum backplate was fabricated to direct the sound more toward the street and waiting pedestrians and away from the buildings. Slide: 28 Post-installation Checklist The APS Guide includes an installation checklist on page 151. Pages 149 – 151 provide more information on features that need to be checked after installation and how those features should be assessed. Once the installation is completed, the installer should use this checklist to confirm that all aspects of the APS were installed properly and are functioning correctly. Aspects that need to be checked on each device include the locator tone volume, the WALK indication volume, the ambient noise response, proper functioning of WALK indicators, the height and location of pushbutton and the location and direction of the tactile arrow Slide: 29 Post-installation Checklist In addition, any optional features must be carefully checked to assure they are functioning correctly and safely. These may include braille, pushbutton information messages, a tactile map, and audible beaconing. It may be helpful to have a braille reader check the braille for accuracy. Slide: 30 Maintenance: Importance Maintenance is important. Malfunctions that lead to lack of information or misinformation can be dangerous. Slide: 31 Maintenance: When? A regular maintenance and inspection program is desirable. It is not always obvious when the equipment is not functioning properly, to those who are unfamiliar with the equipment. It may be necessary to inspect the APS more frequently than other signal equipment, particularly when it's a new program in an area, to assure that the devices are functioning properly. Other times that inspection is needed is after repairs to signals, poles, or the controller, after changes to signal timing and after any report of problem with the device. Slide: 32 Maintenance: What? When inspecting the equipment, it's advisable to use the post-installation checklist. There are a number of features to be inspected at each device and it's easy to miss one without a checklist to remind the inspector of each feature to check. Some easily missed failures can include: Vibrating arrow/button: stopped working WALK indication: stopped or delayed Raised arrow: missing or misaligned Pushbutton: jammed or malfunctioning (although this is less common with the newer pushbuttons) Ambient noise response: slow or not responding The problems listed here are some of the more common failures that may be observed at malfunctioning APS. The inspector should pay special attention to these features, since some of these problem may not be obvious on a cursory glance. Slide: 33 Maintenance: Repairs Just as it is important that signal technicians (installers) understand the goals of the APS so they will install it correctly, repair personnel must also understand what the APS is designed to do. Photo left: given the position of some APS poles, turning vehicles can damage the unit. Photo right: the APS was knocked off the pole, but was still functioning. The repair person secured it back on the pole but did not orient it correctly. The tactile arrow is now pointing toward the center of the intersection, instead of parallel to the crosswalk. End of Module F. Module G. Public Education about APS. Slide: 1 Public Education about APS In this module, we'll provide information about education that is needed about APS and some suggestions about how to provide that information to the public. This information parallels information provided in Chapter 8 of the APS Guide. Slide: 2 Need for education In research on APS, it was found that many people were unfamiliar with the new types of APS and their use and functioning so education is important to help people respond appropriately. Neighbors may be more supportive of APS if they understand how they're used and the need for them. We noted some specific education needs during the research on APS, which will be discussed on a later slide in more detail and there still is general confusion about the meaning of pedestrian signals. Slide: 3 Providing information Typical radio, TV or newspaper publicity and notices should be considered, but other avenues need to be pursued to get the information out to individuals who are blind. There are often other avenues such as radio reading services, which provide information for people with disabilities, rehabilitation centers that may have newsletters or information announcements for individuals who have received services through the center. In addition there are often regular meetings of consumer groups of individuals who are blind where presentations can be scheduled. Web sites of city, county, and transit organizations could provide information. Additional possibilities include presentations at neighborhood meetings, business association meetings, social service clubs and other similar groups. Slide: 4 Understanding features of APS The new features of APS may be confusing to those who have never experienced this type of APS device. You may wish to provide information about the pushbutton locator tone, specifically that it repeats once per second and is not a WALK indication. Some people have thought the signals were malfunctioning because they heard the sound constantly. Also some people may not be aware that it's necessary to push a button to get the WALK signal/sound. Another aspect that needs explanation is that the volume of the pushbutton locator tone and the WALK indication may change in response to traffic noise, and that a change in volume is not an indication of the time to cross. In the research for this project, it was also noted that individuals who are blind may need instruction in how to use the tactile arrow and how to distinguish which direction the arrow is pointing. Slide: 5 Understanding new locations of APS And since this type of APS is located differently, that aspect needs to be explained too. First explain that the APS speakers are at the pushbuttons rather than overhead, and then the locations of the poles in relation to the crosswalks. For some people who are blind, it's important to clarify that the device will be on the side of the crosswalk that's furthest from the parallel street (the street parallel to the crosswalk). That thee face of the device is aligned with the direction of travel on the crosswalk may be very helpful orientation and alignment information for some individuals, as well. Slide: 6 Sample flyer in APS Guide There is a sample flyer in the APS Guide on page 162. Some of the features to describe in your information to the public is the new or different features: Pushbutton locator tone, WALK indications – audible and vibrotactile, Automatic volume adjustment , Tactile arrow , Additional optional features possible with an extended button press (if installed in your area), Pushbutton information message , Audible beaconing Slide: 7 Specific techniques for crossing with APS For those who are orientation and mobility specialists and for those who are blind or visually impaired, this section provides some specific techniques for crossing streets where APS are installed. Photo: individual using a white cane stepping out into the street at a corner Slide: 8 Steps to crossing with APS The steps to crossing with an APS include: Approach, locate edge of street and align, Evaluate (analyze) intersection, Find pushbutton and explore APS, Prepare to cross and cross , Maintain alignment and complete crossing. Each of these will be discussed in more detail in the following slides. Slide: 9 1. Approach and align Approach and align First approach the intersection and stop at curb or curb ramp, maintaining initial alignment of approach. It's important at unfamiliar crossings to go to the corner first, rather than stopping to examine an APS or otherwise deviating on the approach to the intersection. After listening to traffic and determining the correct location and direction for beginning the crossing, find a cue to use to realign at that location after pressing the pushbutton. It might be a grassline, angle of the curb or ramp, a pole, or other tactile cue. Note that the pedestrian who is blind will have to realign and cross on the next pedestrian phase after pushing the pushbutton. There won't usually be a time to use parallel traffic again to align which is why it's important to determine a tactile alignment cue. Once someone is familiar with the intersection, they may change their strategies somewhat and go straight to the pushbutton (because they already know their alignment cue). Slide: 10 2. Evaluate (analyze) intersection The next step is to really evaluate and analyze the intersection by listening first to determine traffic patterns and intersection geometry. The pedestrian who is blind needs to stand there and listen through a signal cycle to attempt to figure out the number of lanes, direction to cross and other information about the intersection that can be discerned by listening. During that time, pedestrians also should listen for a pushbutton locator tone or a tone or speech walk indication that would let them know that there are APS installed at the intersection. The next question is to determine if the WALK indication is audible on every cycle. If so, it's probably pretimed and it may not be necessary to push a button for a walk interval , although APS devices may include a tactile arrow or other information. If pushing the button is not needed, it may be that the preference is just to listen through a cycle to confirm sounds and the street signaled. Some individuals may prefer to find the pushbutton and check the arrow and vibrotactile indications. Slide: 11 3. Find pushbutton and explore APS Searching for a pushbutton using a systematic pattern is important to not getting disoriented and being able to return to the appropriate departure location. Even with a pushbutton locator tone, it's easy to become disoriented if careful turns and a straight travel path is not used. Some people have a tendency to just go toward the locator tone they hear, and that may cause disorientation if they aren't careful about their turns. Once the APS is found, the blind pedestrians should turn to try to face the street they want to cross and explore the APS and its functioning. First, locate the tactile arrow and confirm that APS/pushbutton is for the that the pedestrian is wanting to cross rather than the other street at the intersection. Hold button down for more than one second and see if more information is provided by a speech message or different functioning (audible beaconing) of the device. Listen to APS and traffic for full cycle while standing at the pushbutton and make sure that tones or speech correspond with traffic information. Slide: 12 4. Prepare to cross & cross. Press button and return to predetermined spot at the curb and realign to cross. When WALK indication begins, confirm that traffic on the perpendicular street has stopped, and begin to cross the street, using typical alignment techniques (traffic, straight line travel, etc). It's important to remember that the APS is providing information about the signal, not about the traffic. Treat the WALK indication as an “on your mark” indication, then listen to traffic to confirm the traffic on the perpendicular street has stopped, “get set”, then “go” cross the street. This can be a very quick process, but good for any person, sighted or blind, with any signal. Slide: 13 5. Maintain alignment and complete crossing. While crossing, it's important to continue to listen for turning cars since many signals allow vehicles to turn across the crosswalk during the WALK interval. Drivers are supposed to yield to pedestrians, but they often don't do so. The traveler should use typical techniques to maintain alignment during crossing (trafffic sounds, crown of street, other pedestrians, etc.). If there's a pushbutton locator tone, it may provide some directional information toward the destination corner. Unless there's audible beaconing installed, it's not likely to be audible until the traveler is about in the last lane. However, may be able to hear it and aim for it near the end of the crossing. Slide: 14 Other public education/public information suggestions Here are just a few important public information and education suggestions. Some cities have a listing on their web site of intersections where APS are installed. Be sure that any such list is accessible to individuals using screen reading and screen magnification software. It's a good idea to have a program for people, as part of a community's transition plan, to request APS or other modifications for accessibility. And as we've discussed earlier, a Transportation Advisory Committee can be helpful to help inform community about initiatives and help make decisions about various issues that arise in responding to requests or making design decisions. Slide: 15 Questions? APS Guide Website: www.apsguide.org