By Katie Strachan
The Oshawa Express
While they are a welcome addition to Durham intersections, Allan Angus, a visually impaired advocate for the public, says the region has a long way to go before audible pedestrian signals can be implemented region-wide.
Angus lost his sight in both eyes about 14 years ago. Since then he has continued to travel independently throughout the region and says the idea of audible pedestrian signals is great.
“I have been able to travel around the region with dignity,” he explains.
“I travel throughout the region using a variety of transit methods.”
But not all intersections suit the new technology.
“One of the problems is channelized islands,” says Angus, adding they are islands created to increase the flow of traffic.
“These islands create all kinds of barriers for persons with disabilities.”
But Angus says the problem goes much further than that.
“They also encourage pedestrians to J-walk,” he says explaining instead of walking further to main intersections with pedestrian signals, many use the island to cross unsafely.
Angus says there is a back up of intersections that need retrofitting before the accessible pedestrian signals can be installed – about 25 of them in total.
“We still have a long way to go. We have a large backlog of intersections which require retrofitting,” he says.
In 2009, three of the audible signals were installed at intersections across Durham - one in Oshawa at Wentworth and Cedar Streets and two in Ajax.
And before last year, seven in total had been installed since the program commenced three years ago.
It was initiated in 2007 after the region received a request from the local Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). Since that time, the region’s evaluation team, which consists of regional staff, a CNIB mobility instructor and Angus, a registered visually impaired person, have been investigating to determine which sites would benefit from accessible pedestrian signals.
The intersections to receive the new pedestrian signals are chosen based on the orientation and mobility of the intersection.
This is why the region says they don’t have plans to install them at every intersection.
A recent report prepared for the Works Committee states it’s not practical, safe or cost effective to install them at every intersection.
In the cities of Toronto and Ottawa, they are not installing the channelized islands, or ‘pork-chop’ islands as they are often called, anymore, says Angus. He is asking the same thing of Durham Region.
He recently appeared before the Works Committee.
“They are taking them out where they can,” says Angus of the City of Toronto.
The community advocate says he knows of a number of new intersections across the region that have channelized islands.
The Stevenson and Laval Roads intersection is one of them. It has four channelized islands, he explains.
Angus says while there is certainly work to do, the region is moving in the right direction.
“The region has selected some great pedestrian signals,” he explains, adding the signals have distinct sounds whether you are crossing east or west, north or south, which is a very helpful resource.
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