Accessible Pedestrian Signal Guidelines

This paper describes how the need to provide safe and comfortable conditions for disabled pedestrians while walking through local streets has resulted in an increased awareness of Accessible Pedestrian Signals. While much has been done in this area, many professionals who design local streets and intersections do not have a complete grasp of the needs of these pedestrians. A particular issue is that of consistency; that is, can pedestrians expect the same treatments and rules at each intersection? The Massachusetts Highway Department (MassHighway), in recognition of this issue, made a request of the New England Section Institute of Transportation Engineers (NEITE) Technical Committee to develop an Accessible Pedestrian Signal Guideline. This project began with the research of existing policies and other papers addressing APS, and a summary of the features of each. The Chair of the Committee also attended a workshop, “New Developments in Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Training Workshop”, at the 2003Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington. The information gleaned from this workshop was the basis upon which this project was developed. The scope of this project was to focus on the sight impaired. The committee then invited two Mobility Specialists and members of the sight-impaired community to committee meetings. The Mobility Specialists demonstrated the needs of the sight-impaired through blindfolded walks on downtown streets and signalized intersection crossings. Sight-impaired participants brought personal experiences, concerns and suggestions to the Committee. This paper describes the steps in this process, and will present the Draft Guidelines developed by the NEITE Committee.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/1933452161
• Corporate Authors:

  Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)

  Washington, DC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Petraglia, Kenneth J
  • Boudreau, Neil
• Conference:
  • 2006 ITE Annual Meeting and Exhibit Compendium of Technical Papers
  • Location: Milwaukee WI, United States
  • Date: 2006-8-6 to 2006-8-9
• Publication Date: 2006

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Features: Figures; Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: 28p
• Monograph Title: 2006 ITE Annual Meeting and Exhibit Compendium of Technical Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Audible pedestrian signals; Crosswalks; Mobility; Pedestrian actuated controllers; Pedestrian areas; Pedestrian movement; Pedestrian traffic; Pedestrians; Sight distance; Signalized intersections
• Identifier Terms: Massachusetts Highway Department
• Uncontrolled Terms: Accessible pedestrian signals
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01036866
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 1933452161
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 15 2006 4:21PM