City to Install More Pedestrian Signals for the Blind

The City will commit to at least $1.6 million over the next two-and-a-half years to install such signals, and will use this to leverage more state and federal funds for a comprehensive overhaul. The devices will assist visually impaired pedestrians by emitting a rapid ticking sound in tandem with the familiar “WALK” symbol, and additional features will include locator tones and vibrating pushbuttons to help the blind locate these devices.

Pedestrian signals for the blind are nothing new. In the East Bay, pedestrians have long been familiar with the “bird-chirping” sounds at street corners to help blind people know when to cross the street. But as a former Berkeley resident, I’m embarrassed to admit that it took me two years to realize that the sound did not come from real birds.

The new signals should not arouse such confusion. “Pedestrians,” said Jessie Lorenz of the Light House for the Blind and Visually Impaired, “don’t always distinguish the ‘chirping’ noises from environmental sounds. Research shows that it is more helpful for the visually impaired to have a push button, as well as the sound of a rapid ticker.”

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