Girl’s letter gets change at crosswalk
DELAWARE — It’s not so much the traffic as the distractionsthat make the bustling intersection sodangerous. There might be street vendors, musicians and construction. Andstudents, parents,strollers, bicycles and motorists. And not everyone is as focused on safety as they should be.
But for a 10-year-old with diminished eyesight, crossing at Sandusky and William streets in Delaware can be more than a routineordeal.
Monica Carreno, who has optic atrophy, uses that intersection and others to get around downtown with her family. And with the help of a former mobility specialist atSt. Mary School, at 66 E. William St., she learned she could do something about it.
“The light signal at William and Sandusky St. is hard for me to see,” Monica wrote to city officials last year. Having a signal that she could hear “would make me feel safer because I would know when I should or should not walk across the busy street.”
The handwritten letter was noticed. And beginning this week, work will begin to install audible signals to tell vision-impaired pedestrians when to cross, and “bumpy” footpads on all four corners so they know where they are standing.
The upgrades will be added to the existing signals that visually count down the seconds left to cross, but which Monica and others with visual impairments can’t clearly see.
Almost 20,000 vehicles a day use William Street at the crossing. Sandusky Street has about 12,000, according to the city. It is the city’s most crash-prone intersection.
The $35,000 cost is about a fourth of the city’s annual budget for traffic operations, said Bill Ferrigno, city engineer. The project is the first geared for the visually impaired.
“I’ve seen a change in the tide of being more responsive,” said Ferrigno, who has almost 25 years with the city. “A lot of people don’t know that they should ask, or could ask ... and it’s a responsibility because we are here to serve.”
About 2,600 people with disabilities are served by the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities, which is about 1 percent of the county’s population, said Kristine Hodge, superintendent.
“This is so needed,” said Hodge. “People will go to cross and vehicles will come up on them very quickly. They will start to cross and have to move back to their safety zone.”
Like Monica, Christopher Hunt lost his vision to a deterioration of the optic nerve. He also called the city a few months ago seeking help at the crossing.
“I have to listen to see which way the cars are coming,” Hunt said. “One of these days one of those people honking at me is going to hit me. What is the value of a life?”
Planning also is underway for an audible crossing near Ohio Wesleyan University, said Ferrigno.
The new signals also can help others, especially children, he said. “It trains anyone to press buttons to cross the street and to wait.”
For Monica, the message is already understood.
“Someday, when I am older, I want to be able to walk around by myself and feel safe.”