Audible Beaconing with Accessible Pedestrian Signals

PURPOSE: Although Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) are often assumed to provide wayfinding information, the type of APS that has been typically installed in the U.S has not had positive effects on finding crosswalks, locating pushbuttons, or providing directional guidance. This paper reports the results of research on crossings by blind pedestrians at complex signalized intersections, before and after the installation of APS with innovative audible beaconing features, designed to improve wayfinding. METHODS: Objective data on measures of street crossing performance by 56 participants was obtained at four intersections, two each in Charlotte, NC, and Portland, OR. RESULTS: In the first round of testing, APS with beaconing features resulted in only slightly improved wayfinding. Revisions to the audible beaconing features resulted in improved performance on four measures of wayfinding as compared to the pre-installation condition: beginning crossings within the crosswalk, ending crossings within the crosswalk, independence in finding the starting location, and independence in aligning to cross. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Use of APS that provide beaconing from the far-end of the crosswalk show promise of improving wayfinding at street crossings.