Speaker calls for audible signal cues for disabled in Delhi

Delhi Assembly Speaker urges the lieutenant governor to install audible signals at traffic lights to aid visually impaired and elderly pedestrians for safer crossings.

Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta has written to lieutenant governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu pointing at the need to install audible signals at traffic lights to improve accessibility for visually impaired and elderly people in the city.

Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta. (HT Archive)

“I would like to draw your kind attention to an important matter concerning the safety and accessibility of pedestrians in Delhi, particularly those who are visually impaired or elderly...such a measure would also help reduce accidents and make our roads more inclusive for all citizens,” Gupta wrote in the letter, dated March 16.

Citing a research conducted by Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences at AIIMS, the Speaker pointed out that “nearly 60 lakh people in Delhi suffer from some form of vision problem,” including refractive errors and presbyopia. In the letter, he said that 20–30% of these individuals experience significant blurred vision.

Noting that several countries have already adopted audible pedestrian signals to enhance road safety, he said, “These systems use sounds such as beeps or ticking tones to indicate when it is safe to cross.”

He said such measures are widely used in countries like Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia and Brazil.

Talking about innovative practices, he added, “Some countries have also introduced melodic or musical signals at pedestrian crossings. Japan is widely known for using short melodies or bird-like sounds at traffic lights, which help pedestrians easily recognise crossing signals and contribute to a more inclusive and pedestrian-friendly urban environment.”