2. Infrared Signage for Surface Transit

Purpose of the Study

There are two primary ways in which blind travelers find unfamiliar bus stops. The first is to ask another pedestrian, if one can be found, and the second is to laboriously look from one end of a block to the other, bearing in mind that stops may be at the beginning, middle or end of a block, may or may not be marked by a pole, may or may not have shelters, and shelters may be along either the curb side or at the building line away from the curb.

Methods

Talking Signs Installation
Infrared Talking Signs transmitters were mounted on three bus stops and adjusted for a range of 50 feet (sample message: "Muni number 22 Fillmore to the Marina").

Figure 3. Location of the Talking Signs transmitters and the tactile sign on the bus shelter.

Subjects and Tasks

The 18 participants (blind or with light perception only) were independent travelers who used either cane or guide dog. Each subject received 10 minutes of training in using a Talking Signs receiver. Seven of the subjects had participated in the previous experiment (Powell Station). (Subsequent analysis of the resulting performance showed no distinction in performance, thus allowing the data from the two groups were pooled.)

Subjects were asked to locate three Muni bus stops in an unfamiliar area and identify what bus stopped at each one. Two stops were marked by shelters (one near the curb and one near the building line) and one by a pole surrounded by newspaper vending boxes. All participants located each bus stop once using tactile signs (Braille and raised print) mounted at a consistent height and location on the shelter or pole, and once using the Talking Signs system to aid them in locating the stop. Starting positions were 80, 120 or 160 ft. away from the bus stops and were either along the same block on which the stop was located or a sidewalk intersecting the block. Method of labeling the stop, the approach distance, and starting location were counterbalanced within and between participants.

As can be seen in Table 2, participants were generally more successful in locating and identifying bus stops within the maximum of three minutes using the Talking Signs system than using tactile signs. No participants succeeded in locating the pole stop using tactile signs, while most participants located it using the Talking Signs system. Participants were statistically more successful in locating the shelter which was near the curb using the Talking Signs system than using tactile signs (McNemar test, chi-square = 4.76, p<0.05). Participants were essentially equally successful at locating and identifying the shelter which was along the building line using the Talking Signs system and using tactile signs.

Table 2. Number of participants who succeeded in locating and identifying each bus stop using the Talking Signs system and using tactile (Braille) signs.


Mean times to locate stops are shown in Table 3. While there was an apparent advantage for participants when they used the Talking Signs system to help them locate stops, analysis of variance did not reveal statistical significance because of a large amount of variability.

Table 3. Time to completion of tasks for participants locating and identifying bus stops using the Talking Signs system and using tactile signs.

Several of the dog guide users volunteered that if they used their dogs properly, there was no way for them to locate unfamiliar bus stops using tactile signs because their dogs systematically guided them around poles or objects which might be shelters, where they would need to look for signs.

Questionnaire Results
Results of the questionnaire administered after the experiments appear in Table 4.

Table 4. Percent agreeing or strongly agreeing with the debriefing question.

Focus Group Results
Subsequent to empirical testing, a sub-group of eight persons participated in a focus group. Participants were asked to describe ways in which finding unfamiliar bus stops using the Talking Signs system differed from using their usual travel aids and strategies. They were unanimous that finding bus stops using the Talking Signs system was easier than using only their usual travel aids and strategies. Particular differences mentioned included:

"If I use my dog properly, there is no way I can independently find an unfamiliar bus stop that doesn't have Talking signs."

"If a bus stop has Talking Signs, I can find it with greater freedom and more efficiency."

"With Talking Signs I don't have to dread not being able to find the stop on time."

"With Talking Signs I feel less likely to be a victim because I feel more confident."

"With Talking Signs I don't need to walk the whole block to know whether I'm going in the right direction."

“Without Talking Signs I take a lot of time to listen for clues to the location of a stop. It's hard to get people to help -- they won't stop, don't listen or don't speak English. Talking signs are magic to me."

Participants were next asked to compare finding bus stops labeled with tactile signs (Braille and raised print) with finding them using only their usual travel aids and strategies. The consensus was that Braille signs were useful to confirm that travelers were at the bus stop and to determine which buses came to that stop. (All eight participants were Braille readers, therefore none used or commented on the raised print characters). Six participants said that they would use Braille signs if they existed, and if they could find them. They would use them primarily to confirm that they were at the correct stop. One participant said she would not use Braille signs because it made her too conspicuous. Another, who uses a dog guide, said that a Braille sign on a pole was "worthless unless I just happened to find it."

Participants were next asked to rate their preferences for having bus stops labeled with both Talking Signs transmitters and tactile signs, Talking Signs transmitters only, and tactile signs only. All eight participants, when forced to choose just one signage system, preferred the Talking Signs system. It was mentioned, however, that Talking Signs require receivers and not all travelers who are print disabled are likely to have receivers. The necessity of tactile signs for persons who are deaf-blind was also mentioned, as was the fact that not all persons who are blind are able to read tactile signs. Participants were next asked to name kinds of information which might be provided on bus stop signs (audible or tactile). They were then asked to raise their hands if they thought each kind of information was essential (See Table 5).

| WC Home | Intro | Underground Transit Study | Surface Transit Study |

| Intersection Study | Discussion | References |