Editorial: Crosswalk signals may be a problem

We walk up to a lighted intersection, wait and watch for the light signal to flash us through, then walk ahead after looking both ways. Imagine now the situation if you are blind; without sight it would be almost impossible to cross an intersection safely, especially if you're alone.

Gloria Chaffee, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Nevada, last week told the Sun's Denise Cardinal that any time she crosses a street in the valley she worries that it might be the last time. Her solution for making a dangerous situation safer is to install audio commands at crosswalk signals throughout the valley.

The Regional Transportation Commission and the city of Las Vegas told her they were looking into the situation, but Chaffee notes that there still is only one crosswalk signal with audio commands in the valley. That signal, near the UNLV campus, was only put in after a blind student and seeing-eye dog were killed, Chaffee said. Although Chaffee favors the audio commands, a Las Vegas city traffic engineer said his experience in Fresno, Calif., is that some blind advocacy groups oppose the audio signals, preferring instead to rely on their other senses.

But the Regional Transportation Commission and all local governments should take a serious, fresh look at the situation. They should sit down together and discuss with visually-impaired advocacy groups and others what works elsewhere in the nation and, more importantly, what will work best here to protect the safety of the visually impaired. At this time they have little, if any, protection. We don't need a death at every street corner to prove this point.

archive