For Dan Broz, a simple walk across the street becomes a life-or-death gamble. The blind Santa Barbara resident says he has been hit seven times by cars, three times in Santa Barbara, while trying to navigate the city's streets.
"It's a game of will the driver stop and pay attention or not," said Broz while crossing the street.
And the anxiety of navigating busy streets keeps Broz from going out. "So I stay inside a lot more often than most people," Broz said.
Broz is one of over 9,000 visually impaired people in Santa Barbara County, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data. When he does venture out, ADA-compliant crosswalks with auditory signals are essential for safe travels.
"Especially if it's beeping on both sides, because then that's an auditory tether to the other side. So I can tell there's a crosswalk here, and the crosswalk on that side is all the way over there, and I know where that is," Broz said.
To get an idea of how many crosswalks "talk back", KSBY looked at a two-mile stretch from Milpas Street to the Harbor along Cabrillo Boulevard and tested 13 crosswalks. With the exception of Garden Street and Cabrillo Boulevard, none of the crosswalks on the route had auditory signaling, even the ones with braille.
Former sustainable transportation planner Heather Deutsch says crosswalks are only one piece of accessibility infrastructure that needs attention.
"So if we look down the sidewalk here, you can see that, although there is a clear five-foot sidewalk width, it isn't free of obstructions. And sometimes that's something the city needs to focus on. But it's also something that we as a society need to think about," Deutsch said.
Many times, sidewalks are blocked or obstructed by parked cars, signs, or broken pavement, and these obstacles can be prevent people with visual impairments from getting where they need to go.
The city is working on safer streets through Project Vision Zero. One recent upgrade is a pedestrian hybrid beacon at Los Positas and Stanley Drive. Transportation planner Jessica Grant says signal upgrades like this improve safety and serve people with different mobility needs.
To activate the auditory feedback and buzzing on the crosswalk button, you must hold the button down for a few seconds to trigger the automated voice.
Broz says these improvements help, but adds that safety is everyone's responsibility.
"It just takes a half a second of attention to make sure someone who's blind or visually impaired isn't crossing, or any with any kind of disability that makes crossing the street more challenging," Broz said.
