THUNDER BAY — It didn’t take Kiri Butter long to figure out there’s an accessibility problem for visually impaired pedestrians trying to navigate the crosswalks on the city’s most prominent roundabout.
Vehicle after vehicle whizzed by, barely acknowledging Butter and a group of people attempting to cross the street at the western entrance to the roundabout at the intersection of Edward Street and Redwood Avenue.
Butter, who has her sight, works for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, an organization that’s partnering with researchers at Lakehead University and the City of Thunder Bay to determine what steps need to be taken, if any, to improve safety at the roundabout.
Study authors hope to use their report as a springboard to widen their investigation to other cities across Canada, where roundabouts are more widely used.
It’s frightening, she said of her experience on Thursday morning.
“It’s really important to bring awareness to cities when they are developing roundabouts to making sure they are accessible to all,” Butter said.
“Yes, they’re accessible to wheelchairs and other individuals, but when it comes down to people with vision loss, we may need a few other tools and resources in the crosswalks to make it a safe environment, so they’re able to go to the grocery store.”
At present, there are flashing lights and sounds for those wishing to cross Edward Street east and west, but nothing for those trying to cross north and south on Redwood Avenue.
The visually impaired are playing a guessing game, praying motorists will stop.
Rumble strips are a potential part of the solution, but certainly likely aren’t the full solution, said Lakehead University researcher Juan Pernia, an associate professor in the department of civil engineering, who received the OK to undertake the pilot study.
One thing he knows for sure is that people with vision loss it’s harder to judge when to cross in a roundabout.
“In a regular intersection they can tell if vehicles are stopping and what direction and (in a roundabout) it’s a continuous movement, so in reality you can’t figure out if they’re coming in your direction or not,” Pernia said.
“If people are not stopping or trying to help pedestrians, it’s a big challenge for people with vision loss.”
Pernia said he hopes to have results of the study ready in a report in early 2023.
