Council is seeking feedback from residents before it removes the audible pedestrian button locator devices at two intersections in Town.

The signal locators on Main Street at Fairview Road and Road 1 were installed in 2011 after a request by the “Measuring Up” committee (formed in 2009) to explore various accessibility issues around Oliver. In this case, the locator devices were installed (for approximately $23,000) to assist the visually impaired to locate the walk signal buttons. The devices emit a continuous sound (beep, beep) during all signal phases.

Municipal Manager Tom Szalay said the locators have received recurring complaints and have been an ongoing maintenance challenge.

“The continuous beeping has created problems with nearby residents and businesses near the two locations.”
Szalay said when the volume of the beeping was turned down, the Measuring Up committee complained the audible locators were too quiet.

He noted these devices have required excessive repair and replacement. “More recently, they have become subject to vandalism that appears targeted at silencing the devices.”

Szalay pointed out that a recent email from the Ministry of Transportation indicates $20,000 in maintenance costs this past year compared to an average of $500 for a standard installation.

Szalay said the contractor is prepared to retrofit the two installations with ministry-standard equipment at no charge to the Town. Otherwise, it will cost $20,000 a year for maintenance.

Councillor Jack Bennest said he would love to know how many people use these locator devices and how many people who complain they can’t hear them.

Bennest said council will hold off on a decision until it hears from residents, so he encouraged people to speak their mind on the topic.

Councillor Maureen Doerr said she has witnessed seniors having trouble getting across the intersection at Main and Fairview before the light changes. She suggested lengthening the amount of time for pedestrians to cross.

Szalay said the ministry did lengthen the signal crossing time already. He explained that many pedestrians think they have to cross before the digital red hand appears, but that’s not the case. Pedestrians still have the right of way, he noted.

Measuring Up spokesperson Vickie Hitch said the committee opposes the removal of the audible locators because the visually impaired (both local and out-of-town) rely on them.

Hitch said the committee tried to initiate a meeting with the manufacturer and the people who were complaining about the noise, but that never happened. The committee was going to suggest that the audible locators be turned down at night for the benefit of nearby residents. “In the daytime they need to be loud so you can hear them over the traffic,” Hitch said.

She noted the audible devices at the Main Street/Road 1 intersection were turned down at one point, but it was so low that the visually impaired could not find the signal poles. So the sound was turned up again.

Hitch said she lives a block away from the Main Street/Fairview intersection and doesn’t hear the beeping noise. She also questioned the claim that it costs $20,000 a year to maintain the devices, which she finds exorbitant.

Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle