[blindlaw] San Francisco City Settlement Agreement on AccessiblePedestrian Signals

[Ray Wayne]

I'm not necessarily advocating for these things, but the ones in Dublin,
Ireland, are not bad.  They make an unobtrusive clicking sound that does not
drown out traffic.  My cousin who lives there did not know what they were
until I pointed them out.  There were some really obnoxious ones in a
smaller city whose name I cannot recall.
So, if they are really going to put these things in, I hope they will check
out Dublin.
Ray

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ford, Tim (CDPH-OLS)" <Tim.Ford at cdph.ca.gov>
To: "NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List" <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 8:09 AM
Subject: [blindlaw] San Francisco City Settlement Agreement on
AccessiblePedestrian Signals


> CITY & COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
> WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2007
>
>
>
> Installation of Accessible Pedestrian Signals Will Aid Blind, Visually
> Impaired Community
>
> First Agreement of its Kind in the Nation Enhances Public Safety with
> State-of-the Art Signaling Devices, Averts Potential Litigation
>
>
>
>
> SAN FRANCISCO (June 20, 2007) -- San Francisco Municipal Transportation
> Agency (SFMTA) Executive Director and CEO Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr. and
> City Attorney Dennis Herrera today announced a comprehensive agreement
> with representatives for the blind and visually impaired community, in
> which the City will commit at least $1.6 million over the next two and a
> half years to install accessible pedestrian signals.  The state-of-the
> art signaling devices will assist visually impaired pedestrians by
> emitting a rapid ticking sound in tandem with the familiar "WALK" symbol
> displayed for sighted pedestrians.  Other accessibility features include
> locator tones and vibrating pushbuttons to help those with visual
> impairments locate the devices, and the ability to provide helpful
> audible information such as street names when pedestrians press the
> pushbutton for one second or longer.
>
> The agreement -- which was reached without litigation through a
> collaborative process known as structured negotiations -- represents the
> first of its kind in the nation, according to advocates for the blind
> and visually impaired community.  In addition to the $1.6 million
> committed to install accessible pedestrian signals at no fewer than 80
> intersections over the next two and a half years, the agreement provides
> that the City will seek additional funding for more installations and
> develop a policy for San Francisco residents to request accessible
> pedestrian signals at other intersections.
>
> "The agreement to install accessible pedestrian signals puts San
> Francisco in the national vanguard in working to enhance public safety
> for blind and visually impaired pedestrians. The SFMTA is committed to
> do everything it can to expand this program to its fullest potential in
> the years to come," said SFMTA Executive Director and CEO Nathaniel
> Ford.  "I am very grateful to the advocates for San Francisco's blind
> community in working to advance this comprehensive agreement, especially
> Anita Aaron of LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and
> Eugene Lozano, Jr. and many members of the California Council of the
> Blind..  I also appreciate the hard work of City Attorney Dennis Herrera
> and his deputies, whose commitment to finding a mutually beneficial
> solution made this agreement possible."
>
> "This agreement reflects far more than our commitment to public safety
> -- it represents San Francisco's commitment to engage the disability
> community in a manner that is cooperative rather than confrontational on
> matters involving accessibility and compliance with the Americans With
> Disabilities Act," said City Attorney Dennis Herrera.  "I'm very proud
> to have reached an accord that is the first of its kind in the nation,
> committing to install state of the art signaling devices while averting
> the possibility of costly litigation.  I'm grateful to Nat Ford for his
> leadership and vision on this issue, and thankful, too, for the positive
> approach taken by advocates for the blind and visually impaired
> community."
>
> Representatives of San Francisco's blind community applauded today's
> announcement.  "We commend San Francisco for being the first public
> entity in the United States to voluntarily sign a comprehensive
> agreement regarding accessible pedestrian signals -- devices that are
> critical for pedestrian safety," said Anita Aaron, Executive Director of
> the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired on Van Ness Avenue.
>
>
> Linda Porelle, President of the San Francisco Chapter of the California
> Council of the Blind, praised the City of San Francisco for
> "recognizing, through this historic agreement, the fundamental
> importance of Accessible Pedestrian Signals to the safety of blind and
> visually impaired pedestrians. We look forward to working closely with
> the City to fully implement the terms of the agreement."
>
> In addition to the City, parties to the agreement are the California
> Council of the Blind, the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually
> Impaired, the Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco, and
> Damien Pickering, a blind individual.  In the negotiations, the blind
> and visually impaired community was represented by disability rights
> lawyers Lainey Feingold and Linda M. Dardarian.
>
>
> CONTACTS:
> * Kristen Holland for the S.F. Municipal Transportation Agency (415)
> 701-4649
> * Matt Dorsey for the Office of the City Attorney (415) 554-4662
> * Lainey Feingold for the disability organizations and individual
> Claimant (510) 548-5062
> * Linda M. Dardarian for the disability organizations and individual
> Claimant (510) 763-9800
>
> Representatives of the LightHouse for the Blind and the California
> Council of the Blind available for interviews and demonstration of APS
> technology.
>
>
>
>
>
>
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