Problem
Highway 89 runs through the center of Provo, UT, separating the local nursing home from the city’s largest hospital system. Residents with mobility impairments must cross the busy street to attend medical appointments at the hospital or access the city bus stop. Currently, quadriplegic nursing home residents must activate the crosswalk buttons using their feet and electric wheelchairs or receive assistance from others. The city needs Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) buttons that pedestrians with limited mobility can activate safely and independently.
Solution
Polara’s regional partner Advanced Traffic Products worked with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to find an APS solution that would improve crosswalk safety and enhance independence for pedestrians with disabilities. To offer the most accessibility features to its citizens, UDOT elected to use Polara’s iDS APS system.
With the iDS, UDOT:
- Expanded the ways pedestrians could use crosswalks buttons with i-Detect™ touchless activation technology and the PedApp® free mobile accessibility app for iOS and Android.
- Updated crosswalks buttons to MUTCD-compliant APS with accessibility features like high-contrast vibrotactile arrow, audible beaconing, longer crossing times, and navigation information.
- Remotely configured the iDS with the mobile Field Service App to include emergency vehicle alerts on the APS around the hospital system campus.
Result
Nursing home residents and pedestrians with disabilities can now safely and independently access the Utah Valley hospital system and adjoining city bus stop. UDOT plans to install Polara iDS all over the state within the next several years, providing more accessibility features for Utah citizens.
More from UDOT
A Lindon woman who is blind is working with the Utah Department of Transportation to keep vulnerable road users safe through accessible crosswalk buttons.
“That [APS technology] gives a person such independence,” Disney said. “Any time they can feel like they’re independent and doing something safely on their own, it’s just empowering. It gives them more confidence.”
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