Red light, green light! What a marvellous invention for
traffic control. When the driver of a vehicle sees a red light at the intersection,
he or she knows that it is a signal to stop and to wait until the traffic light
turns to green. Similarly, the pedestrian knows that a Walk signal means
that it is safe to cross the street, while a Don’t Walk signal means
that he or she should wait.
Red light, green light – simple isn’t it? Well, perhaps not
so much for the pedestrian who is blind or partially sighted. This morning I
had a conversation about this with my friend, Sue. I have mentioned Sue in previous
posts. Sue is without sight and travels with a guide dog. Neither of us can see
across the street to the other side. We are unable to see the colour of a
traffic light. I am slightly better off in that I can see the light above my
head. Both Sue and I live in small towns where there aren’t any audible traffic
signals. We laughed, somewhat in frustration as much as with humour, to learn
that we both take significant detours when we are out walking in order to avoid
intersections with silent traffic signals.
On our recent Australian trip, Lyle and I spent several days
in Sydney. Sydney is a big city and at every intersection where we walked there
was an audible signal coordinated with the colour of the traffic light. It was
so easy to cross even the busiest of streets. The installation of audible
signals might be expensive but it is a good step forward in promoting accessibility
for those of us who have limited or no sight.
Red light, green light! Yes, a good precaution for drivers
and pedestrians with sight. Now let’s get with the program and install audible
signals so that street crossing can be safer for us all.
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