Accessible pedestrian signals, known as APS, have been around for decades, though the technology has evolved.
Many of Chicago’s few APS-equipped intersections - including on a busy street outside The Chicago Lighthouse, which provides services to blind and low-vision residents - still rely on beeps or cuckoo chirps to announce when it’s safe to cross. Newer models actually speak the words “walk” or “don’t walk,” and feature tactical buttons to clarify directions so blind pedestrians don’t stray into traffic. Many also convey the time remaining before the light turns red.
Chicago’s Department of Transportation declined to comment on the judge’s ruling, citing the ongoing litigation. But spokesperson Erica Schroeder told The Associated Press in an email that APS devices are installed at 35 intersections and “under construction, in design, or in procurement” at more than 150 others.
Kathy Austin, a community engagement specialist at Second Sense - a downtown organization serving blind residents - recalls a meeting in 2017 or 2018 in which she and others in the blind community presented a list of the most dangerous intersections, only to be told by city officials that APS was too difficult to install in many of those places.Blind residents know from their mobility training to wait to hear the sounds of parallel traffic before crossing a street.
Maureen Reid, a job-placement counselor at The Chicago Lighthouse, said she feels more comfortable than many of her blind friends moving about the city because of her familiarity with its sidewalks and the help of her guide dog, Gaston. But she acknowledges there’s room for numerous safety improvements - including more tactile strips at pedestrian crosswalks and transit stations.
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