Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) help pedestrians who are blind, low vision, or Deafblind safely cross the street. These low-cost devices are typically affixed to poles at signalised intersections and emit an audible signal and/or haptic feedback to indicate to pedestrians when they have the right of way to cross the street and in which direction of travel.
APS devices are crucial for pedestrian safety and independence. While they are relatively easy to install at controlled intersections, CNIB regularly hears distressing accounts from our community members about missing, improperly installed or poorly maintained APS devices at controlled intersections.
This summer, CNIB ran an advocacy campaign calling for the proper installation and maintenance of Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS). Our community came out in force, resulting in 641 letters submitted to municipal mayors and councillors across the country, calling on them to prioritize the proper installation and maintenance of APS devices in their municipalities.
Thanks to the dedication of community advocates with sight loss, the municipality of Langley, B.C. voted in favour 9-0 to include APS in the modernization of their intersections and involve the sight loss community in future decisions in designing the built environment!
You can also watch a video about the campaign here.
After a walking tour in Charlottetown, PEI with city officials and community advocates, the City committed to installing accessible pedestrian signals at 4 out of 41 intersections in the city by Spring 2025. We are currently engaging with community members to identify intersections that would benefit most from the installation of Accessible Pedestrian Signals, with plans to expand to additional locations in the future.
If you participated in the APS campaign this summer, please keep us informed about responses from your representatives and actions your municipality takes to improve APS going forward. To share an update, send an email to advocacy@cnib.ca. Stay informed about future transportation campaigns and initiatives by visiting cnib.ca/transit.