Summerside improving intersections based on advice from vision advocates

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Jennifer Sanderson was making an attempt to stroll dwelling when she discovered herself caught.

She had simply left Samuel’s Espresso Home in downtown Summerside, however just a few steps into her journey she encountered a doubtlessly harmful downside; she had no approach of crossing the intersection the place Central and Queen streets meet Water Avenue.

That junction is without doubt one of the busiest for each visitors and pedestrians within the metropolis, and, it seems, poses a specific problem for folks with visible impairments, like Sanderson – regardless that the visitors lights there have been put in with know-how particularly to assist folks like her.

“General, Summerside is basically good to navigate,” defined Sanderson, who relocated right here from Charlottetown two years in the past.

“I discover folks, both as drivers or pedestrians, are actually conscious – if that’s the precise phrase. Within the larger cities, even Charlottetown, we might stand on the four-way stops for 10 automobiles, ready for someone to acknowledge that we’re there and it’s protected to cross the road.

“However there’s all the time room for enchancment,” she added.

Sanderson has retinitis pigmentosa, a uncommon genetic situation brought on by cells within the retina slowly breaking down. It ends in a gradual however inevitable decline in imaginative and prescient, particularly within the peripherals. She nonetheless has some eyesight however for the previous 10 years, she has progressively began to rely extra on her white cane and information canine – her present four-legged helper is called Lark.

Considered one of Lark’s abilities is discovering pedestrian crossing sign buttons for her human, which she will do at most intersections – however not this one.

“(Lark) hasn’t discovered them at Samuel’s but. She’s not educated to have a look at a constructing for a button,” mentioned Sanderson.

This specific intersection doesn’t robotically change the pedestrian indicators with the stream of visitors. Walkers should push a button or the stroll/cease indicators won’t change. Two of the directional buttons of the intersection are connected to what’s colloquially often known as the ‘Journal Pioneer constructing,’ which is a non-standard placement.

That makes crossing the road for folks with imaginative and prescient issues, who’re typically educated to navigate utilizing standardized placements of options like these buttons, a doubtlessly harmful downside in the event that they miscalculate and stroll into visitors.

The intersection can also be geared up with auditory indicators, which emit a beeping tone that visually impaired folks can use to orient their course and navigate, however that function has not labored for years.

To get dwelling that day, Sanderson and Lark needed to flip away from the intersection and comply with the Summerside Baywalk (the boardwalk adjoining to the harbour) west till they reached a crosswalk with higher pedestrian sign button placement. The detour doubled their distance to get dwelling.

Room for enchancment

The intersection of Queen, Central and Water streets was one of many major examples utilized by Christine Arsenault throughout a presentation to Summerside metropolis council in late 2021; the place she highlighted a number of the neighborhood’s pedestrian crossings that want updating to higher serve folks with visible impairments.

Arsenault is an orientation and mobility specialist with Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada (VLRC) – a sister group to the Canadian National Institute of the Blind (CNIB). A part of her job entails working with purchasers to enhance their navigational skills via using their white canes, information canine and different instruments. These abilities maintain them protected whereas navigating their each day lives and permit them to retain their independence.

Arsenault performed a overview of a few of Summerside’s busiest intersections, noting issues like placement and top of the pedestrian sign buttons and curbing.

She offered her findings to the council to assist increase consciousness at metropolis corridor about a number of the challenges her purchasers face of their metropolis.

“We’re seeing extra purchasers transfer to this space, or a youthful inhabitants of our purchasers are right here and desirous to get out and be impartial and benefit from the metropolis – we simply should maintain going (with infrastructure to assist them),” mentioned Arsenault.

“Summerside is up and coming, it’s rising and extra vacationers are coming … they understand how pedestrian push buttons and intersections ought to work of their cities, so we need to maintain that stream,” she added. “Issues are altering, we simply must sustain.”

She additionally famous that the typical age of Canada’s inhabitants goes up and is projected to proceed doing so. Options that assist folks with visible impairments will help future-proof communities which are going to should take care of surging populations of seniors.

“They will’t make each intersection work for each incapacity. However we’ve got to determine what are a very powerful diversifications that must be finished in these areas,” mentioned Arsenault.

Constructive end result

Arsenault’s message was positively obtained by councillors, who tasked workers with conducting their very own overview of the pedestrian pushbuttons within the metropolis. That occurred in December 2021.

Workers checked out 244 crosswalks, 64 of which have buttons. In response to the town, 19 of these wanted enhancements to fulfill the peak and placement suggestions made by the CNIB and VLRC. Of these, 9 have been simply relocated, however the remaining 10 require extra invasive infrastructure work and at the moment are on a listing for future enchancment.

Town has additionally pledged to pay nearer consideration to those particulars sooner or later.

“It’s presently a piece in progress to enhance the accessibility of pedestrian actuated signalling for crosswalks and is now on the agenda for overview and enchancment in all future design issues,” wrote Greg Gaudet, the town’s director of municipal companies, in an e-mail to SaltWire Community.

That’s excellent news to each Arsenault and Sanderson.

They perceive change doesn’t occur in a single day, and they’re appreciative of how shortly the town responded to the information that was supplied.

“I felt like Summerside was actually going to place some effort into getting this as much as par,” mentioned Arsenault. “So I’m hoping to see these modifications … (and) they name upon us to return out and assist with any recommendations.”

For Sanderson, these enhancements are the distinction between having the ability to safely stroll to a neighborhood enterprise and purchase a cup of espresso and doubtlessly being caught at dwelling. She wholeheartedly welcomes ahead progress on this subject.

The previous 10 years, studying to confess she wanted assist and having to relearn abilities she took without any consideration all her life, haven’t been straightforward, she mentioned.

“It’s arduous. I’m a really impartial particular person – I’m a really cussed particular person. Each of these qualities make it arduous to ask for assist and to confess that you’ve an issue,” she mentioned. “It’s a course of.”

However she’s confirmed to herself that she’s extra adaptable than she ever would have thought and any assist her new neighborhood can supply with these changes is appreciated.

Colin MacLean is a reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island. @JournalPMacLean