Wow…sorry to go so far back in time…sadly these messages often go to my “junk
mail”. Anyway, just wanted to take the opportunity to concur that pedestrian
travel IS changing regularly…both for sighted and visually impaired folks. The
good news is there are trained professionals to help folks learn to navigate
the complex world…there have been some GOOD changes from yesteryear too 😊
*you are correct Carson, those “bumps” are truncated domes and they are NOT
meant to be directional in nature, only to note where the ramp/road meet.
*as for APS buttons being further from the curb…truth, it’s by design so they
don’t get (more) buried in the winter with snowplowing. Good news again, is
that when there are multiple street crossings at a given corner, each street
gets its own APS (audible pedestrian signal)…and the APS features are pretty
cool! I always advise my clients (anyone in the community) if you push the APS
and it doesn’t talk/give the “wait light is on” “walk light is on”…PLEASE call
public works…most public work folks aren’t walking the streets as much as we
are, so they rely on us to inform them when they need tweaking/fixing.
Anyways, hang in there…keep up the good positive flow to making pedestrian
travel safe for ALL…it’s actually a more pedestrian world than it use to be 😊
Thank you for this groups leadership in Westbrook! Kathy Clarrage
Kathy Clarrage, COMS
State of Maine, Division for the Blind & Visually Impaired
151 Jetport Blvd
Portland, ME 04102
207-423-5448
Katherine.c.clarrage@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:Katherine.c.clarrage@xxxxxxxxx>
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/MEDBVI<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMEDBVI&data=04%7C01%7CKatherine.C.Clarrage%40maine.gov%7Cbe848c8aa2c4455e8b9a08d8e595d144%7C413fa8ab207d4b629bcdea1a8f2f864e%7C0%7C0%7C637511778914485573%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=JIVmipGTEi9U%2BmwN446knoFzgLalypibGdvTUREpx0M%3D&reserved=0>
*Be Well, Stay Safe, and Be Kind
From: wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of
Carson Wood
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2021 1:54 PM
To: blind-forum-maine@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [wsmac] Monday walking downtown.
EXTERNAL: This email originated from outside of the State of Maine Mail System.
Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know
the content is safe.
Yesterday, Monday, I walked downtown to the West end of Main Street to get a
haircut.
Mind you, the middle of this walk was reconfigured along with new sidewalks
being added, audible walk signals and truncated domes. I’m assuming truncated
dome is what the dots at curb cuts are called.
In Westbrook, the audible signals are not close to the curb cut unless there
happened to be a structure to attach them to. By what I can tell, the arrows
where the signal is activated do not point in the direction exactly or
sometimes even nearly to where the pedestrian needs to walk to cross the street
safely.
For a person like me who is totally reliant on the cane without being able
to use landmarks, this is a problem especially when the walk is a new,
unfamiliar walk. Also, when the signal is a distance from the curb cut as many
of these are, by the time the pedestrian gets back to the curb cut, tried to
line up with the direction they need to walk, sometimes, the ability to cross
has timed out as well as there not being a good way to line up with the
crosswalk. I’m told the truncated dome is not reliable to line up to the
crosswalk. It is just for the purpose of indicating an end to the sidewalk.
The new reconfigured sidewalk is very cluttered next to the curb. There
wasn’t clear markings on the inside of the sidewalk that was constant either to
be depended on. For me this left me in no man’s land. I did the best I could to
follow the curb and listen to traffic to guide me. Due to the clutter next to
the curb, this was quite a task. I found myself veering away from the traffic
many times. One of these times I got messed up smelling corn chips from the
outdorr tables near the Frog & turtle at Valley Square. Thankfully I didn’t
upend anyone’s lunch!
There were quite a few people trying to help me along the way. I was polite
thanking them but telling them I needed to do this myself.
This walk was very challenging especially because I don’t believe I have
walked down to that end of town by myself since the days I still had sight.
It was a beautiful day, I got my haircut, and, I made it home unscaved and
in good cheer.
This was only the third or fourth walk I’ve done solo since sometime in 2020.
The only way to get better at this business is to do it.
