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Bicycles/Pedestrians

Safety Toolbox: Engineering


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Wheelchair detection
Persons in wheelchairs may be accommodated at signalized intersections using video detection, in-pavement wheelchair loops, or supplemental pushbuttons.  Video cameras and in-pavement loop detectors are used to detect wheelchairs and to activate pedestrian crossing indications or treatments.  Persons who use wheelchairs are detected automatically, allowing for a longer pedestrian phase to be activated.    Supplemental ADA pushbuttons may be installed six inches above the finished surface, thereby allowing a wheelchair user to graze it with their wheelchair.  The supplemental pushbutton may be wired to the same phase that would serve ambulatory pedestrians and should be oriented in such a manner as to allow a person in a wheelchair to maneuver easily to activate the pushbutton.  Stencils may be used to indicate where wheelchairs should position themselves to activate the detectors.
objective To accommodate at signalized intersections the crossing needs of persons in wheelchairs.
applications At signalized crossings with moderate to large volumes of mobility-impaired pedestrians.
target population Disabled Pedestrians
crash type Pedestrian R/W Violation-Intersection, Pedestrian Violation-Intersection, Traffic Signals and Signs
advantages
  • Ensures that mobility-impaired pedestrians have adequate time to cross at intersections with pedestrian signals
disadvantages
  • Cost of installation
pointers Longer pedestrian phases may disrupt signal progression if cycle lengths cannot accommodate actuation of all pedestrian crossing signals in one cycle.
cost Medium, $250-$350 per loop; $15,000-$25,000 per intersection for installing all needed loops.
responsibility Public Works Department
further reading Greenwood, M. (1996). Supplemental Disabled Pedestrian Push Buttons. City of Palm Desert, 1996.
examples City of Cupertino, Public Works Department; City of Palm Desert, Public Works; King County, WA, Department of Transportation
related tools Wheelchair Ramps, Pedestrian Signal Timing

Index: alphabetical / cost / crash type / target population

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