You may be wondering why the beeping is going on at the crosswalks of three intersections in the city — but don’t be nervous, it’s just the among the latest improvements to help the visually impaired and other residents.

The Lyndhurst Audible Signal Project is complete, with new accessible pedestrian signals on Mayfield Road at the Brainard, Richmond and Winchester-Irene roads intersections.

The new signals let out a locator beeping tone every second and operate 24 hours a day. The tone adjusts automatically to a louder level during heavy traffic hours. At each intersection, the tone will direct those who are visually impaired to a raised button. The buttons are in the form of an arrow so the proper button can be chosen based on the direction one wishes to cross. The buttons vibrate upon activation.
An audible voice will then be heard stating either to wait or that the crossing signal is on and it is safe to cross.

“It’s a visual timer, but it is implemented to help anyone who might benefit from it including children, the elderly and those with compromised mobility and orientation,” Police Chief Rick Porrello said. “As they cross, the signal also shows a timer that counts down the seconds until the signal will change back.”
Complaints from a few nearby residents about the tone during evening and night hours have been addressed with adjustments to the volume, Porrello said.

The project had been in the works since 2009 when Max Edelman, a visually impaired Lyndhurst resident who was once hit by a car in the city while crossing a street, approached Mayor Joseph Cicero and Porrello about the possibility of federal funding for the signals.

Initial funding efforts fell through, but working with the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, an organization that determines how federal funding for transportation will be used, a second federal funding source was suggested.

“The Transportation Enhancement program funded about 80 percent of the construction or implementation costs and Lyndhurst is responsible for the other 20 percent in local matching funds and engineering costs,” Porrello said.

In all, Porrello said it was a collaborative effort between the city, NOACA, the Cleveland Sight Center, the Legacy Village Community Fund No. 2 and Edelman, with the American Council for the Blind and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority providing support.

Many representatives from those collaborators were present June 26 for a short ceremony and demonstration of the signal at the Mayfield and Irene-Winchester Road intersection.
Among them was Edelman, a Holocaust survivor who was blinded at the age of 17 by two guards while a prisoner in a work camp.

“He’s been sort of an activist and flag-waver for this project all along,” Porrello said. “He told me at the ceremony, ‘Chief, we finally pulled it off.’ ”

Source: cleveland.com