Module D - Slide 38
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.