For the last month, strange sounds have been coming from the stoplights at the intersection of Washington and 14th streets.
New audible crossing signals emanate from speakers installed on top of the corner’s cross-signal poles. They make a “cuckoo” sound for pedestrians crossing 14th Street, and a “chirping” sound for those crossing Washington Street.
The sounds go off only after pedestrians push newly-installed buttons at the base of the light posts that indicate when it is safe to cross. Pedestrians will now have to press the button to see the walk or don’t walk signal, as well.
The new signals were installed in late December, and are the result of the request of a local resident and the work of a city councilman.
Hoboken resident Eddie Montanez said he decided to inquire about the installation of the signals last summer, after he began to use the intersection often.
Montanez, who lives near 11th and Washington, is completely blind, and relies on his hearing to guide him around town. He said the large amount of traffic at that particular intersection often made it difficult for him to cross.
“The way I cross the street is I stop and listen to the parallel traffic,” Montanez said. “If you have a lot of sound – such as buses – it’s hard to tell if there are cars turning.”
He added, “I was always reluctant to cross here, so I asked [other pedestrians] for help.”
He said that the opening of the new New York Sports Club and CVS pharmacy on 14th Street have given him more reasons to cross – and more reasons to ask for help.
Blind since 14
Montanez has lived in Hoboken for over 20 years. He has been completely blind since the age of 14, when he suffered retinal detachment. In retinal detachment, the retina peels away from its underlying layer of support tissue. Without rapid treatment, the entire retina can detach, leading to blindness. A supervisor at the New Jersey Commission on the Blind in Newark, Montanez said he was familiar with the audible signals and had even used them in parts of Manhattan.
Not just the blind will benefit
In late summer, Montanez and his friend, city crossing guard Margaret O’Brien, who works at the corner of Eleventh and Washington streets, approached Councilman-at-Large Peter Cammarano about the possibility of installing audible signals.
Cammarano was able to secure council support and funding – $9,000 from the City’s general budget fund-for the installation of the signals.
“If you had to identify the busiest intersection with the highest volume in the city, 14th and Washington is definitely one of the busiest,” said Cammarano, who lives near that corner. “Obviously Washington is the main street in the city; it’s the North-South downtown artery. 14th street is the east/west corridor.”
Cammarano said that the Washington and 14th is the only intersection where the new signals were installed.
“There are no plans right now to install the technology anywhere else in the city,” he said. He added, “however, as need arises, I’m always open to consider it.”
He added, “Is this the answer to all the traffic calming we need up there? No. But if it saves one person from injury, or, God forbid, a fatality, then its well worth it. It’s the same story when we put speed bumps on an intersection. We’re trying to use every tool at our disposal to induce traffic calming. We want to help all pedestrians, including the blind.”
Montanez said he knew of at least one other person in town who would use the signals.
“There’s an older person in his 80s named Bill, and I just told him about it the other day. He’s losing his vision slowly,” Montanez said.
And Montanez made it clear that he was not asking for audible signals at every light.
“I don’t want to give the impression that you have to accommodate to our every need,” he said. “All of the other streets I’ve crossed with no problem. This is just a very busy intersection. You’ve got buses and cars and they’re all turning. The sound level in that area is high. Depending on the hour, it can impede my crossing ability.”
How it works
As he waited for the “cuckoo” sound to indicate it was safe to cross 14th Street on a recent Friday night, Montanez explained how the new signals worked for him.
“It still gives you information,” he said. “The information lets you know when you can cross. The signal to me is the thing you see. The only difference is, I hear it and you see it.”
And he added that the audible signals will benefit more than just the blind.
“The ramps on curbs originally came about because people with wheelchairs lobbied for them,” he said. “That’s been used by everyone – senior citizens, people with baby strollers. I’ve never heard a negative thing about them. A lot of times when you do things for people who are disabled, a lot of people benefit. I think this is the case with this as well. I don’t think it’s only good for people with low vision and lost sight.”
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