Crosswalks can pose dangers for blind Valley residents

It can be a daily challenge for the Valley’s blind and visually impaired just to cross the street.

Dec 30, 2015, 5:45 AM

It can be a daily challenge for the Valley’s blind and visually impaired just to cross the street.

They have to constantly listen for cars, trucks, even the light rail. Distracted drivers can make that even tougher.

“Some people are texting and driving, so you’re not sure whether they’re paying attention to who or what might be in front of them,” said Betsy Tait, a mobility specialist with the Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Tait works with the blind and helps train them to cross the street, but it can still be a scary situation.

“It’s really scary,” Tait said. “Our city has grown over the years, and our traffic has gotten much more complicated.”

One thing making it easier for the blind is audible crosswalks. Several city of Phoenix intersections have these crosswalks, especially around the light rail.

The crosswalks make a specific noise when it is not safe to cross and a different noise when it is safe to cross. Tait said the audible crosswalks definitely aid the blind when crossing the street.

“It’d be great if every lighted intersection had one of those, but quite frankly not every lighted intersection needs one,” Tait said.

Tait said blind residents in Phoenix can call the city and request an audible crosswalk if they cross a certain intersection on a regular basis. She said the city has been good about installing those audible crosswalks in the past.

“They know how important it is to our folks,” Tait said.

But Tait said the blind still have to be aware of their surroundings, even with the audible crosswalks.

“The way we train people is to listen for the traffic,” Tait said. “We always tell people if you’re going to start crossing, start at the very beginning of the cycle, with the fresh green light.”

Tait said those who can see should offer their help to the blind when crossing the same street.