[Archived] Audible Pedestrian Crossing Signals Installed for the Blind

City Press Release


	City of Alexandria, Virginia Office of the City Manager Alexandria City Hall 301 King Street, Suite 3500 Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3211 www.alexandriava.gov Telephone: 703.838.4300 Fax : 703.838.6343

Audible Pedestrian Crossing Signals Installed for the Blind

Continuing with Alexandria’s program to provide to better pedestrian facilities for the handicapped, the Transportation Division installed Digital Accessible Pedestrian Signals (DAPS) for the visually impaired at the intersections of Beauregard Ave. and Mark Center, Duke St. and Jordan St. and in front of the King Street Metro Station. The DAPS is a state of the art programmable pedestrian crossing system. Some of the features of this system include a voice message indicating when the walk sign is on, a censor that automatically adjusts the volume to compensate for surrounding noise conditions, and an audible indicator of the location of the pedestrian button.

In addition, the actual placement of the pedestrian button enhances the mobility for persons who use wheelchairs. The wheelchair user has direct access to both the pedestrian button and the wheelchair ramps on the sidewalk without having to relocate after pressing the button. The DAPS panel features a vibrating surface that activates when the walk sign is on. The vibrating surface together with the countdown will assist the deaf in knowing when to cross the road.

After installation of the system, the division director, Bob Garbacz personally displayed the features of this system to employees of the National Institute of the Blind located in Mark Center. The division plans on installing more of the DAPS systems at various intersections around the City. For more information call 703.838.4747.

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