Audible crosswalks make downtown Flint accessible for people with visual impairments

The City of Flint is striving to make downtown a safer, more accessible, and inclusive environment with the installation of three audible crosswalk devices on Saginaw St. at the intersections of Union, Kearsley, and First Streets. Another three devices will be installed at Second, Third, and Fourth Streets in the coming weeks.

The audible crosswalk devices, called Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) Beacons, are designed to provide pedestrians who are blind or visually impaired with the same amount and quality of information that is available to sighted individuals when crossing an intersection.

Members of the National Federation of the Blind Flint & Genesee Chapter made an appointment with Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley during his open office hours to advocate for the audible crosswalks, and the mayor was immediately receptive. Chapter President Sheila Fulmore said the group advocated for the importance of including visually impaired people in making downtown Flint an accessible destination during the reconstruction of Saginaw St.

“The importance of it is phenomenal and tremendous because we live in a city that celebrates all of the residents, and we should include all of the things that help the residents,” Mrs. Fulmore said. “This is really a great step of advocacy on our part. We believe, truly, that we can live the life we want. We may not do it exactly how a sighted individual does it, but we do do it and find accessible ways and accessible things that help us.”

The audio signals at the downtown crosswalks announce the street name and the walk sign with a countdown for pedestrians to cross. Especially with loud ongoing construction on Saginaw St., it is important for these signals to be clearly heard over the din of machinery.

“This is everyone’s downtown,” Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley said. “All residents of this community deserve to be able to access this space safely, move freely, and enjoy our community. I’m proud to support accessibility to improve quality of life in the city of Flint. I am confident that this accommodation will increase participation in downtown activities and commerce. One of our major goals is to attract and retain residents, and accessibility is key as we look to grow Flint’s population.”

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation made a $72,000 grant to the City of Flint to fund the procurement, installation, and maintenance of six APS Beacons at downtown intersections.

“I want to thank the Mott Foundation for supporting a vibrant, accessible Flint community through their grantmaking,” Mayor Neeley said. “I also want to thank our City of Flint union members in the Traffic Engineering Division who are doing an excellent job installing, optimizing, and maintaining these devices for our community.”