Problem
The crossroads of Saint-Mathieu Street and René-Lévesque Boulevard in Montréal, Québec serves thousands of pedestrians daily as they travel to the Concordia University building, bus stops, daycare, and the medical office near the intersection. The only indications that it is safe to cross the 6-lane road are the visual walk signals; and since pedestrians with vision disabilities have no signal when to cross, Montréal has prioritized this intersection for Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS). The city must install APS near each crosswalk without disrupting access to the schools, public transit, and other community resources surrounding the intersection.
Solution
Polara’s regional partner Tacel supported the city of Montréal in their search for an easy-to-install APS solution that wouldn’t interfere with pedestrian travel. To avoid shutting down bus stops and tearing up the heavily used sidewalks to run wires for new pedestrian button poles, Montréal adopted Polara’s Wireless Ped System (WPS). The WPS allowed the city of Montréal to add APS to the existing intersection without adding foundations or wiring, placing the new poles near the crosswalk curb ramps so the vibrotactile button arrow aligns with the associated crosswalk, helping blind pedestrians find and remain within the crossing.
Outcome
- Installed 4 WPS across 3 corners of the intersection, anchoring to the existing sidewalk in under an hour per pole with minimal disruption to traffic for a fast, cost-effective solution.
- Positioned APS close to the curb for ideal access.
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