A very interesting question. It can be answered in a single sentence, which goes like this: it helps blind and visually impaired people cross at crosswalks safely. In fact, the answer could end here, yet let us take a closer look.

Accessibility also on the street

Accessibility must not only be ensured inside buildings, but it is just as necessary in street traffic. One of the important elements of safe and independent street navigation for blind and visually impaired people is that where there are traffic lights at crosswalks, there should be some kind of audible signal.

In Hungary, since the 1980s we have been encountering traffic lights equipped with sound signaling devices. At first, they indicated the possibility of safe crossing with beeping, later with speech, and when the light turned green, the signal sounded continuously.
In the 2000s, devices appeared that could be activated by a remote control held by the visually impaired person. Thus, the traffic light only sounded when it was truly necessary. This solution is not only good for us visually impaired people, but also for city residents living near the lights, since a continuously sounding device can be disturbing in situations where no visually impaired person is crossing, yet the signal keeps making noise.

Although more and more places are installing talking lights that can be activated by remote control, due to public complaints, in many big cities the sound signal is turned off after 6:00 p.m., or in the better case after 10:00 p.m. However, this exposes us to increased danger of accidents during the lower traffic of evening or early morning, because the lights go silent. Where they are not switched off, it is still common that, upon residents’ request, they are turned down so much that in rush hour traffic noise, the sound of the lights is almost inaudible to us.

There also exist sound-signaling traffic lights that can be turned on with a button located on the pole. However, finding this pole is a serious challenge and inconvenience for us, and from a hygiene perspective it is not advantageous either.

Breakdowns of the lights are another difficulty, not only for us but also for the organizations representing our interests. In most places there is no well-established, widely known platform, email address, or phone number for reporting malfunctions, so it easily happens that sound signaling devices remain silent for a long time. Even after reporting, repairs often take weeks, or in worse cases, months. Fortunately, in several major Hungarian cities, including Pécs, the service http://jarokelo.hu/pecs is already in operation, specialized exactly in reporting and solving such problems.

What is directional hearing?

How does a visually impaired person distinguish, when there are two green signals at the same time, which sound belongs to which crosswalk?
To answer this question, it is worth thinking for a moment about what we pay attention to when we travel alone.

We, visually impaired people, besides relying on fixed reference points detectable with the white cane, also rely on our directional hearing. This means, for example, that if we are walking on a sidewalk directly next to the road, with the roadway on one side and a fence on the other, not only does the fixed fence provide security, but the sound of traffic also helps us.
When crossing at crosswalks, we mostly need to use our directional hearing, because it provides the most help in aligning ourselves correctly and then crossing safely. With its help, we can determine from which direction we hear the sound of the signaling traffic light, as well as the noise of traffic.

If the crosswalk is short, with less car traffic, and the sound signaling device is working properly (meaning it is audible from both sides of the crosswalk and not turned down too much), then both the starting and arrival side lights will be clearly heard at the same time.

If the crosswalk is too long, traffic too heavy, and the device not functioning properly, all these factors make safe crossing more difficult.

If there are two crosswalks next to each other and both show green at the same time, the usual practice is that the beeping lights sound at different pitches. In such cases, we must be able to clearly distinguish which beeping frequency is meant for us.
If both zebra crossing signal sounds come from the same direction, we should focus on the one that’s closer to us.

Some zebra crossing signals don’t just beep, they actually announce aloud which street we can cross.

Written by Evelin Almádi