(Eagle News)–Senator Leila de Lima wants “audible crossing information” placed on roads for blind pedestrians crossing the streets.
In filing Senate Bill No. 623, De Lima noted that people who are blind or visually impaired cannot rely on traffic lights at every intersection.
“Without sufficient visual information, they merely depend on the sound or sense of traffic to identify a time when traffic has stopped and crossing the street is possible,” she said.
She said although traffic sounds and vibrations can help a pedestrian safely cross a street, “there are many intersections where this type of information is insufficient to assure a pedestrian who is blind or visually impaired a safe journey.”
“Persons with disabilities are part of Philippine society, thus, the State shall give full support to the improvement of their total well-being and integration into the mainstream of society,” she said.
Under SB No. 623, all new traffic signal poles that have yet to be installed shall be equipped with an accessible pedestrian signal.
Under the proposed law, an APS is a device affixed to traffic signal poles that communicates information about the “Walk” and “Don’t Walk” intervals at signalized intersections in non-visual formats.
De Lima said existing traffic signal poles shall also be equipped with the device but the installation is in an order of priority following a criteria set by the Department of Public Works and Highways.
“When an APS uses audible tones, it shall have a specific tone for the walk interval and clearance phases utilizing internationally recognized standards,” she said.
De Lima suggested one distinct sound for the North/South crossing and another distinct sound for the East/West crossing for the “Walk” phase.
She said the tones shall be at least two decibels and no more than five decibels greater than the ambient noise level, must be sensitive to level changes, and must be audible to the mid-point of the crossings.
“With over two million Filipinos who are blind or suffering from poor vision, the installation of APS in most, and ideally all, traffic signal posts shall aid them in being independently mobile and ensure a safe journey for everyone,” she said.
