Good Morning.
As a blind person I’d never cross from the Area near the Adventist church to
the island in the middle of the road where the angle of the crossing would need
to be changed to complete the crossing.
Firstly, the crosswalks are diagonal not square perpendicular to the curb.
Secondly, I can imagine a crossing during heavy traffic where there is so
much noise that a blind person could be totally disoriented especially on the
center island losing all directional orientation.
I challenge all sighted people to wear a blackout blindfold while a sighted
person escorts them in a crossing to that center island and beyond to the
destination during heavy traffic.
I’m sure it could be done by a blind person who would need some visual
orientation to the crossing and a lot of guts. Remember, the crossings are
somewhat diagonal and truncated domes do not align to the direction of
crosswalks but simply indicate where the sidewalk becomes the street.
My Wife and I looked at this while standing near the Adventist church.
My Wife’s question was, did any blind people help plan this?
From: wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of
Dennis Marrotte ("marrottr")
Sent: Saturday, February 26, 2022 11:00 PM
To: johnbrooking4@xxxxxxxxx; wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [wsmac] Re: Pedestrian signal guidelines
To Carson, John:
The Picture of the west side Pedestrian Crosswalk Pushbutton on WCD at
Stroudwater Street across from DUNKIN is as Close to a Wood Stockade Fence as
one can be - I was leaning hard with my back against the Fence to photograph
the Pushbutton Arrow and include part of the Crosswalk. Add a snowplow bank and
the eastbound Traffic is right in Front of you.
I did not get to photograph the Pedestrian Pushbutton Control that Carson
mentioned at WCD and Spring Street.
I did photograph the Pedestrian Pushbutton Crosswalk Controls at Spring Street
and Main Street, next to the Peoples United Bank and on the Main Street Post
Office Side diagonally across from Citgo service Station. All the Pedestrian
Crosswalk Pushbutton Controls for Spring Street and Main Street are the older
rubber Pushbutton Controls with Metal Description Signs mounted above the
Pushbutons and a Direction pointing Arrow on the Signs.
One Observation: We have experienced a somewhat " Easy " Winter so far - the
One Exception was the Nasty SLEET STORM ! With that in mind, there has been
a significant Increase in the number of Pedestrian activated Crosswalk Controls
installed along with an Increase in the number of newly installed, newly
painted Pedestrian Crosswalks and new Metal Post installed Diamond shaped
Yellow Pedestrian Symbols with the downward pointing ARROW to the Crosswalk.
Those Quantities will make a tremendous Increase when the Cumberland Mills
Triangle Project activates - Final Asphalt Paving is scheduled for April ?
All of the new safety Equipment and Crosswalk Controls, Traffic Signals,
increases the Responsibility on Public Services monitoring the added equipment
as well as some of that on our small Operation.
I wonder if Walgreen's Customers - Pedestrian Customers - METRO Passengers -
will change their walking habits and use the new Pedestrian activated
crosswalks and raised Islands OR will they jog " Willy - Nilly " down the
shrubbery landscaping and across Harnois Drive and Main Street - Where - ever
they please, and scare a Driver when a Pedestrian suddenly appears right in
front of him / her.
Dennis
Thanks Carson, for bringing these Issues and Conditions to our Attention.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: John Brooking <johnbrooking4@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:johnbrooking4@xxxxxxxxx> >
To: wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sat, Feb 26, 2022 10:05 pm
Subject: [wsmac] Re: Pedestrian signal guidelines
Carson,
I went out and looked at these locations this afternoon, as did Dennis
separately, and I think I see what you mean. In these cases, the pole to which
the pushbutton is attached is not directly next to the crosswalk, but forward
of it by 10 feet or so. So it seems to be pointing slightly backwards to the
near end of the crosswalk, which makes it not parallel to the crosswalk itself.
It almost seems like the person installing it thought that pointing it to the
end of the crosswalk was preferable to pointing it parallel to the crosswalk,
since in this case they aren't the same thing. I could see a case for that,
especially for sighted persons. Do you know what the guidelines actually
recommend in this case? We could ask Jill if she knows.
List members, attached is a photo that Dennis took of the push button for
crossing William Clark at Stroudwater, on the west side, towards Dunkin'. You
can see how the push button is forward of the crosswalk.
It's also pretty inaccessible at the moment due to a snowbank, but that's a
different issue.
John Brooking
Cyclist, Cycling Educator, Technologist
http://cyclingsavvy.org ;<http://cyclingsavvy.org/>
On Sat, Feb 26, 2022 at 7:13 PM Carson Wood <carsonlwood@xxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:carsonlwood@xxxxxxxxxxx> > wrote:
Spring & William Clark near parking lot on fat metal pole. Nortwest corner.
From: wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > On Behalf Of
Dennis Marrotte
Sent: Saturday, February 26, 2022 3:36 PM
To: wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Carson WOOD <carsonlwood@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:carsonlwood@xxxxxxxxxxx> >
Subject: [wsmac] Re: Pedestrian signal guidelines
Carson, do you mean Spring and Main Street OR Spring and WCD ?
Thanks,
Dennis
On Sat, Feb 26, 2022, 2:31 PM Carson Wood <carsonlwood@xxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:carsonlwood@xxxxxxxxxxx> > wrote:
I know the signal on the Southwest corner of Stroudwater does not point exactly
in the direction of the crosswalk.
On the Northwest corner of Spring the arrow is also incorrectly pointed.
From: wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > On Behalf Of
John Brooking
Sent: Saturday, February 26, 2022 2:17 PM
To: wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [wsmac] Re: Pedestrian signal guidelines
Hi, Carson,
Is there sometimes a problem with the arrows not pointing in the right
direction? If so, that sounds like it would be a problem with how the
installation is done, and we can check that afterwards.
The diagram in the plan calls for a "Polara Model IN337 APS push button
assembly" or approved equivalent. I couldn't find that model mentioned at the
Polara product listing <https://polara.com/products> , maybe it's an old one.
But most of the pictures did show a button with an arrow, with the exception of
the "Bulldog" model. That one just has the concentric circles. The model
numbers with the arrows start with "INS" or "INX", so I would think that the
IN337 on the DOT plan is similar.
John Brooking
Cyclist, Cycling Educator, Technologist
http://cyclingsavvy.org ;<http://cyclingsavvy.org/>
On Sat, Feb 26, 2022 at 1:50 PM Carson Wood <carsonlwood@xxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:carsonlwood@xxxxxxxxxxx> > wrote:
If this is reviewed it should be noted that the push button on audible signals
is an arrow. Logically, the arrow should point exactly in the direction the
blind pedestrian is supposed to travel.
From: wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > On Behalf Of
John Brooking
Sent: Saturday, February 26, 2022 12:17 PM
To: wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Jill <jjohanning@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:jjohanning@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> >
Subject: [wsmac] Pedestrian signal guidelines
Hello again, WSMAC,
Local architect and Discover Downtown Westbrook Design Committee member Jill
Johanning recently followed up with her DOT ADA contact on a question we had
about pedestrian request buttons. It was mentioned in the DOT plans for the
William Clark Drive project this summer that the push button "maximum allowable
reach distance" shall be 24" (Sheet 10,
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/13xWpZXtXo2nBfj10oDvyUCwMFIGQ1T09/view>
"Pedestrian Signals and Push Buttons", #7).
Our first question was, what does "maximum allowable reach distance" mean?
It is the length you have to reach to get the button. In this diagram from ADA
guidelines, it is the measurement at the bottom, recommended to be 255 mm max,
or 10".
Since the DOT plan says 24" instead of 10", the DOT ADA contact that Jill spoke
to promised she would have it changed to 10" in the project plan. I'll note
this in our WCD Project Notes Document
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TCBbvsMOmgzKhEcO0syCo8JbC_sXlPev0ybf9oX9Xts/edit?usp=sharing>
.
Jill included a link to this "Public Rights Of Way Guidelines
<https://www.access-board.gov/prowag/> " (PROWAG) document from the federal
government, which includes lots of information about recommended dimensions of
pedestrian infrastructure in Sections 3 and 4, Technical Requirements.
John Brooking
Cyclist, Cycling Educator, Technologist
http://cyclingsavvy.org ;<http://cyclingsavvy.org/>