Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) are devices used to allow visually impaired pedestrians to use the ‘walk’ and ‘don’t walk’ signals when they are attempting to cross at a signalized intersection. When activated, the APS provide walk sounds such as a ‘coo-coo’ to indicate that the walk light is on in the north-south direction and a ‘three note melody’ to indicate that the walk light is on in the east-west direction. This directional guidance information is especially important at skewed intersections and at wide multi-lane crossings.
At locations with an APS button, the sound is activated by a single quick press of the APS button. It is important to note that there will be a low volume "beep" coming from the APS device at all times that is intended to help visually impaired pedestrians to locate the button. Please do not block the APS noise by standing too close to the device.
All new signal installations are equipped with APS, in addition to a limited number of retrofit installations per year which are based on resident requests and supporting infrastructure.
All Traffic Control Locations are available on Open Data. The presence of Accessible Pedestrian Signals is included as an attribute within this data.