For Vignesh (name changed), a visually challenged person, crossing the Goripalayam intersection will no more be a nightmare.
The Madurai City (Traffic) Police have planned to instal audio signals in at least 20 locations, to enable the visually challenged persons to cross intersections without any difficulty. The facility, which is presently available in Chennai, will be commissioned here in a week.
The signals would be launched in a phased manner from this week at major intersections, including Goripalayam, Guru Theatre, Aavin, St Mary’s Church, Melamadai, Sivaganga Road, and Vakkil New Street, officers said.
Explaining the project, they said that the moment vehicles were stopped at a particular junction, pedestrians could cross from one end to the other. Hereafter, the visually challenged could also cross without any hassle as they could hear the instructions in both Tamil and English, they said. The audio would be available for 60 to 90 seconds. Out of 27 locations, where there are signals now, audio signals will be introduced in 20 locations.
An engineer, who is part of the installation team, said that the moment the red light went on, signalling vehicles to stop at an intersection, the audio signal timer connected to the system’s panel would start functioning with the announcement coming repeatedly. Hence, pedestrians, particularly, the visually challenged, could proceed with comfort, he added.
According to a survey, the officers said, there were close to 3,000 to 3,500 visually challenged persons in the city, using roads and pathways every day to go to school, college or work. While the maximum number of persons criss-crossed Goripalayam, Setupathi Higher Secondary School, Guru Theatre, Vakkil New Street, Kalavasal and Munichalai junctions, it was proposed to instal audio signals in other stretches as well, under the traffic modernisation scheme.
Sharing their experiences, some of the visually challenged persons residing in private hostels said that every time they had to seek assistance of some person to cross the roads. The audio signal might help them to avoid accidents, they said.
Commenting on the new facility, Aravind Eye Care System Director Venkatesh N. Prajna said that it was a welcome move by the police. “It enhances the dignity of the person (visually challenged), who need not be dependent on anyone. In rehabilitation, we want them to mix with the mainstream as it gives them self-confidence,” Dr Prajna said.
He said that the visually challenged only looked for help and not pity. With the police establishing a facility, life for them appeared to be improving outside their homes/hostels, he added.
An employee of a private firm, who is using the hostel at Indian Association for the Blind, was happy when he was told about the audio signal coming up. “I board a bus at Kadachanendal and alight at Goripalayam to go to my work spot. Crossing the signal is a Herculean task. If someone guides me, I will escape from being hit by vehicles as, otherwise, it is dangerous to go alone from one end to the other,” he said.
The police have given the task of installing the audio signals to a team of engineering graduates, who have quoted competitive rates. “When compared to the cost of a signal fitted in Chennai, we could afford a dozen in Madurai. However, when the idea was shared with some youngsters here, they came out with an economical price. Hence, we are able to cover more locations,” a senior officer said and added that more such user-friendly facilities would come up in future as well.
