A Study on Visually Disabled Persons Support System Utilizing VLC Technology at Intersections

Transportation infrastructures for vulnerable road users have been developed for Japan in recent years. Although various countermeasures for visually disabled persons, such as installing acoustic signals (AS) and tactile tiles on sidewalk have been done, there is not enough environmental considerations at intersections. On the other hand, with the development of information communication technology, various pedestrian support systems such as “Pedestrian Intelligent Transportation System (ITS)” that was promoted by the Road Bureau, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation, have been developed. This paper analyzed both problems and needs for visually disabled persons at signalized intersections and evaluated the performance of the visually disabled persons’ crossing support system at signalized intersection utilizing the visible light communication (VLC) technology that was developed by the research group through the analyses of the walking investigation and the questionnaire survey at simulated environmental conditions. This study revealed that the sound created by surrounding traffic is a contribution for visually disabled persons that confirms the presence of an intersection in the case without AS, while the factor to disturb hearing to the sound of AS, the noise caused by heavy traffic, bothers them at the intersection with AS.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transport Canada

  1000 Sherbrooke Street, West, P.O. Box 549
  Montreal, Quebec  Canada  H3A 2R3
• Authors:
  • Suzuki, Koji
  • Fujita, Motohiro
  • Fukuzono, Kazuyuki
  • Hayashi, Yoshitsugu
  • Mizuno, Hirohisa
• Conference:
  • 11th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED)
  • Location: Montreal , Canada
  • Date: 2007-6-18 to 2007-6-22
• Publication Date: 2007

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 9p
• Monograph Title: Transed 2007. Benchmarking, Evaluation and Vision for the Future

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acoustic detectors; Communication systems; Information technology; Intelligent transportation systems; Pedestrian safety; Signalized intersections; Transportation disadvantaged persons; Visually impaired persons; Walking distance
• Identifier Terms: Transed
• Geographic Terms: Japan
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01130283
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 19 2009 9:28AM