[nfb-talk] Fw: [Nfbf-l] A Heart-felt Wish

Mon Jan 7 12:14:47 CST 2008

Great one David!  Better transpertation is always necessary.  Audible
trafic signals can malfuncion at any time.

Terry Powers

-----Original Message-----
From: David Evans [mailto:drevans at bellsouth.net] 
Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2008 5:37 PM
To: Kathy Davis; Dwight Sayer; MisterAdvocate at aol.com; Gloria Mills; Dan
Hicks; Dan Hicks
Cc: nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nfb-talk] Fw: [Nfbf-l] A Heart-felt Wish

Re: [Nfbf-l] A Heart-felt WishDear Jodie and Kirk,

I would ask you to think of this.  Funding is now very limited due to
the property tax cuts coming down from the State to all of the local
governments.
Which do you think should have a higher priority.  Public Transportation
or audible traffic signals?
There is no information , that can not be gotten by just using your
ears.  You hear the parallel traffic surge forward and you know the
light has changed.  It does not have to beep to tell you this.  Your
hearing is not having to compete with the beeping to pick out the sound
of a car slowing down to make a right on red.  You are not becoming
dependent upon a method that causes you to let down your guard and makes
your mobility skills erode.  You are less likely to build up a bad habit
of just trusting the sound of the beeping light over the travel
techniques you should be using to protect yourself.

The lights cost almost as much as a Para-transit van to install and
maintain.
If you are going to ask your County to spend money on something that
best serves the Community,it should be better Public Transportation and
not audible traffic signals.  They give you nothing that you don't
already have by just listening and using your mobility training.
Audible traffic signals don't protect you.  Good mobility skills and
listening to the traffic does.
The "Walk" "Don't Walk" lights at an intersection are there mostly to
serve children and seniors who have not got or are losing the judgment
to tell when it is the right time to begin crossing.  They are still
required to stop, look and listen to make sure it is safe.
The problem is that people get lazy or in to a bad habit of just walking
into the intersection when they hear the beeping of the signal and
forget everything else.  Their bad habits then become the problem by
depending upon the sound instead of their good sense.  This is
especially so for seniors.
I respect your wanting to have access to everything that the sighted do,
but you already do have it in just listening to the traffic sounds of
who is moving and who is stopped.
Please consider which is going to be of more benefit to you and
everybody else.  Public Transportation should be your top priority and
not audible traffic signals.  You will get more support for the transit
than you will audible signals.  People who live next to audible signals
hate the noise and may even ask that they be removed because they cause
a nuisance and may effect their property values.  They can ask that the
signal be monitored and removed if the signal is not used a certain
number of times a month.  It has happened here in Palm Beach County.
The ACB got one installed at an intersection in West Palm Beach , but
the County removed it after less than 2 months at the request of nearby
residents.
Think about it.  .

Your friend to the South.

David Evans, NFBF

----- Original Message -----
From: David Evans
To: 'NFB of Florida Listserv' 
Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 6:44 AM
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] A Heart-felt Wish

Dear Jodie and Kirk, 

Audible traffic signals are not a requirement under the ADA.  Just so
you know. 
Your money would be better spent funding a couple of good mobility
instructors and buying and funding some Public Transportation vehicles. 
One signal would buy a lift equipped van. 

The audible signals build up a false sense of security in the minds of
too many people , especially seniors.  The seniors trust the signals too
much and just think that they are safe if the darn thing is beeping.
They believe the cars are going to all stop and this does not happen. 
Here in Palm Beach County, we have had a number of seniors, who can see,
who have been hit and some killed using audible signals. 
Heck, Robert Miller, the former State president of the Florida ACB  and
even Debby Grub have been hit at audible traffic signals in the last two
years. 
They both should have had an extra layer of protection as they both use
guide dogs which are trained to disobey a lawful command if they sense
danger.  They still got hit.  
There were two Blind students at the Florida Training Center in Daytona
struck at a audible signal right outside of the Center. 
The signal has been around for years and is special as it makes all of
the lights, in all four directions, turn red at the same time. 
The students got lazy and just depended upon the signal to tell them it
was safe to cross.  They forgot to use their good street crossing
techniques and they got hit.  They got lazy and didn't stop, look and
listen to the traffic. 
Most good Blind travelers will tell you that they are not worth the cost
for 
what they do.    This just sucks off funding that would be better spent
on 
mobility instruction and good Public Transportation. 
By the way, Jodie.  It sounds like you have taken over the seat that
Brenda Gillis use to sit on there in Martin County.  She was a real
champion for Public Transportation there and use to have monthly go
around with the County Commissioner over transit funding and the
policies and practices of Community Coach. 
I would be glad to work with you on the issue. 
Are you planning to go up to Tallahassee for TD Day on March 6, 2008? 

If you are interested in going, but do not have a way, I might be able
to help. 
I am taking a chartered bus load of advocates up to the Capitol on March
5 and coming back on March 7. 
This is something that I have been organizing for the past 8 years here
in Palm Beach County. 
If you are interested, call me at (561) 482-5684 (Home), or on my cell
at
(561) 789-2488. 
Did you know that a fixed bus route is being proposed to run from St.
Lucy County down to Palm Beach County through Martin? 
I sit on the steering committee.  The DOT is going to fund it for at
least 2 to 3 years. 
I am still pushing the Tri-Rail to extend up to Stuart also.  It likely
won't happen now for another 5 to 7 years because of these darn budget
cuts, but there is hope. 
There is another man there in Martin that works for Braille
International. 
His name is Mark Tardif I think.  I am looking forward to working with
him also. 

David Evans, NFBF 

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Jody W. Ianuzzi
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 7:00 PM
To: NFB of Florida Listserv
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] A Heart-felt Wish 

Hello everyone, 

Yes, I agree there is a major problem with public transportation in
Martin county.  I was appointed to the citizen Advisory committee for
the Martin county Metropolitan Planning Organization.  I am pushing for
public transportation, audible pedestrian traffic signals and many other
changes. 
I see the county spending a fortune on road improvements and each time I
remind them that making ADA updates is part of the requirement for road
improvements. 

it has been very frustrating, to say the least. 
JODY 

"WE MUST BE THE CHANGE WE WISH
TO SEE IN THE WORLD" ~ Gandhi 

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