The Use of Audible Traffic Signals in the United States

Audible traffic signals (ATS) can be of considerable value to visually impaired pedestrians. This article describes these devices and their use in this and other countries and presents areas of concern regarding their widespread installation, including the types of intersections at which ATS should be installed, the locations of poles and buttons for activating the systems, and the specific type of device to be used. Because there is a dearth of applied research on ATS, it is recommended that 1) unusually complex intersections not be the sites for ATS installation; 2) particular attention should be paid to the locations of poles and buttons, and 3) the type of device to be installed at a new site should be consistent with those at sites in the same area.