It really made me mad that there was a blind man with a white cane crossing that street and people were just zipping around him in their cars not even caring at that intersection. What is wrong with people??? What does it hurt to just wait that extra few seconds to let the guy cross?
No ones gonna care until they start suspending licenses and impounding cars... I saw this one video of a guy blocking the sidewalk in SF and when questioned but the reporter if he knew that affects people in wheelchairs, the guy just said, I don't give a shit....
I love how everybody always assume bad things on their own without even thinking of other possibilities, how about this, at least one person offered help maybe even more than one, but they were like "Oh thanks but we're recording a video about how a blind person could cross the street on their own" of course it's just a possibility but I like to think there's a higher chance that's what happened.
People really fucking make me sick........ how are you gonna beep at a blind man crossing the street the just speed off like that, but I love the fact that he just kept on smiling and keeping a positive attitude WAY TO GO TOMMY 👏👏
what pissed me off was the blue car that went and sped right in front of him like...the fuck??? that is why i help the blind people that live in my city when i see them out walking (there's like 5 or 6 that i know of)
It's that way in America too, regardless of blind or not. Pedestrians almost always have the right of way in cross walks and intersections. That said, not everybody follows those guidelines.
Erik R he meant even if there isn't a pedestrian crossing. Either with or without lights. I personally have not yet encountered it, but know that when a blind/otherwise disabled person indicates he wants to cross the road, I have to stop.
In the Netherlands people are civilized. Most prob do not need the law to show compassion. Manhattan is dangerous to all pedestrians. The bike riders are the #1 criminals.
That would scare the hell out of me if I was blind and I had to cross the street without knowing where the cars were. I admire you and many other people that are blind.
The first time I was with my blind student when he was learning to cross the street by himself I was nearly having a heart attack. The biggest problem wasn't the blind kid crossing the street, it was the people turning right that weren't watching. I totally agree that all traffic lights should either have a tone or a verbal countdown that let's the visually impaired know when it's safe to cross. Watching Tommy almost get flatened by that car definitley brought back memories.
Tommy, how do you feel about being offered help crossing the road if there's no tone? I'd feel bad for just leaving someone to judge the sound of oncoming traffic, but then I wouldn't want to sound patronising.
He's made another video saying that he's fine with anyone asking if he wants help. So if you saw him about to cross the road and there was no tone, I'm sure he'd be fine with you helping :)
All crossings (if not broken) here in Dublin, Ireland have a tone and the button vibrates when it is time to cross. When you have been growing up with that all your life, if is hard to believe that there are modern cities out there that don't have any!
The crossings in the UK have a little spinning thing under the button you push to cross. When you feel it start to spin, you can cross. It is better then a noise making box, because in high traffic areas the noise would have to be very loud to be heard.
We also have triangles on either side of the road and a bumpy surface on the pavement so it's easier for people with a cane to recognize and stay on the crossing. I'm amazed the big cities don't have that as standard!
In the UK, traffic light have a little motorised cylindrical thing that moves when it's safe to cross under the box that has the button on it. They also have a noise xD
yep like Nerissa said all Australian one's beep but it's not the button that vibrates its the metal penal above the buttons, it has the speak behind it and it vibrates. as far as I know all lights have this.
Actually the main reason for not having the beeps is at a junction where there are multiple crossings and when one is safe to cross the other isn't. Standalone crossings which aren't at junctions (rare in London) will tend to have the beeper.
At Orange County airport (SNA) the cross walk will talk to you. It says "wait", "walk sign is on", and gives a countdown when the flashing hand is on. Very cool!
In Ireland everyone has to push a button on a pole for the traffic to stop, and there are sounds for the blind and also a little cone on the bottom of the box that spins when you have to go. You just grab the cone and wait for it to spin, then walk. :)
yup, here in new zealand we have the tones for all the lights. so when i went to america on holiday, it was a strange experience. i kept on missing my turn because i was looking in some other direction, too used to relying on the sound.
You are awesome. I have an 18yr old daughter who is visually impaired, and who is just as curious and afraid too. But nothing holds her back to try things. Thanks for your videos. We love them and love you. Thank you!
In Sweden, all the ped crossings which have lights also has a sound signal. They always make a sound so you can find them. But there are of course crossings with no lights or sounds, and they can be quite hard for the blind. But in the city there are always one with sounds and lights close by.
In college I started trying to navigate the city with my eyes closed... got pretty good at it; got hit a few times; ran into a few things; but all in all a great experience to learn what it's like to navigate while visually impaired. Now I'm glad to say I get to apply it to my work as a traffic engineer, where audible signals (among other devices) are now standard in our area. Things are still far from perfect, but helping engineers gain this awareness and knowledge is the first important step.
Once I saw an aggitated blind girl at an intersection & asked if I could help. turned out she'd gone past a certain building at U of Toronto she was aiming for. She knew she'd gone too far but having missed it, wasn't sure how to backtrack. I ran down the block, identified the building, then walked with her to the entrance & she felt confident from there. I think she resented my helping, but I'm glad I stopped. When I'm lost, I ask for help, but I can see who's there to ask! My respect to her!
In the UK, there are bumps on the footpath so that blind folk can feel where there's a crossing with their feet (or cane). Some crossings have a turning dial underneath the button that you can feel & it rotates when it isn't safe to go & stops rotating when it's safe. Other crossings beep when it's safe to go & stop beeping when it's not safe. There are also bumps on the road at some crossings to outline the crossing (to keep you on track so you don't wander off down the road). It's great.
555th comment and he is such a nice man. I feel bad. I cry when I see him! He doesn't care if he is blind but he has a smile that will make my day! Live a good life Tommy and I hope he will help the people who do have blindness or things like that a wonderful life as well.
In sweden there's frequent signals coming out at the cross points. When the signals are short and fast, it's green to go, andwhen they are long and short, you wait for the cars to drive by.
In downtown Pittsburgh all of the crossings have two tones one low and one high that bleep every second. And a voice that tells you when to go and when its not safe to cross
Toronto (Ontario, Canada) has some beeping crosswalks. However, they don't beep / vibrate ALL the time. You have to press the button and hold it down for a few seconds, to activate the beeping / vibrating. One downside of that is locating the button in the first place - it does make a quiet noise, but if you are blind and also deaf or hard of hearing, it's a challenge to find it or know it's there since not all signals have the beeping / vibration!
In the UK 90% of signal operated crossings have a small textured cone beneath the controll box, the blind person holds their hand against this small cone and when it starts to spin, it indicates when they have right of way.
In Sweden we have clicks that indicate the traffic lights at crossings. Slow ticking means red, and fast ticking means green. Then it's some kind of interval that indicates it's about to turn red again. I've also seen at some places they have a kind of braille on the box where you push the button, that shows what the crossing looks like and where cars will be coming from, so you know in case you don't have time to cross the whole street (when there's little platform to stand between the lanes).
@boredincan I live just outside of Houston, TX, and all of the crossings in my neighborhood (thankfully!) have audible sounds to indicate crossings. Crossings near schools, churches, or busy roads also have yellow traffic signs a few seconds back from the light saying "Crosswalk Used by the Blind," or something to that effect. I always forget other areas don't have that sound, though, so while traveling, even I, while messing with my phone or chatting, end up missing my turn to cross!
Back in my hometown there was a blind lady that I used to see cross the street once in a while. It was a wide four lane street. The first time I saw her I was riding my bike and I had to slow down to make sure she would cross fine. She stood at the curb for a good 30 minutes. She didn't use the cross walk either. I felt so bad but I felt I'd be wrong to asked her if she needed help. I'd see her cross that street so many times. She had alot of close calls but it didn't stop her from going out there every day. I truly admired her.
like the other people are saying, in the u.k there is a little dial underneath where you press the button, so if there is no beeping, it will spin, also, at the crossing, the path with have bumps on it so you know where to stand and will be the same on the opposite side so you know when you have crossed the road safely
+Sian Greenwood It's very smart and works really well. There's a busy dual carriageway on my way to the train station and it 's a jaggard crossing. For some reason there's a lot of blind people that live near it as well. Never seen a single one have any trouble crossing. The bumps work, the spinner works, and if not the sound of the traffic is really clear. Plenty of time to cross (unlike the one shown in Tommy's video), it's interesting watching these blind people be so confident, if they knew how insanely busy it is though.
How come crosswalk lines aren't slightly raised? I mean so that people who are blind or visually impaired can stay within the white lines and don't get off track.
ImAwesomeAli I was thinking slightly raised just so that a white cane could feel the difference. It wouldn't do any damage to cars, as it would be no higher than say a couple cm. I know in the town where I live, there are bricks as the crosswalk ground, which feel different than the regular pavement.
In the UK we have little ridged cylinders on crossings so that if there isn't a beep, you can put your hand on it and wait for it to rotate, then you know it's safe to cross
And at places like pedestrian crossings where there aren't any lights, cars are required to stop if there's a person there so you're safe anytime. plus in front of all crossings the pavement has little ridges all over it so you can feel it with the stick and know you're at a crossing
I rememeber the first time I stood next to a talking traffic light (instead of a beeping one), it freaked me out so much. This voice from the sky kept telling me to "Walk! Walk! Walk!"
A few years ago they installed clicking noises when the light is green and "wait wait wait" when the light is red and you push the button. Never knew what they were till now :o
In japan there are raised crosswalks where the path is patterned with raised bars to direct the blind. Not only cross walks but sometimes sidewalks too. We should do that.
Did you know that in Japan most of the major cities have 3D patterns on the ground to indicate a side walk, a cross walk, or an intersection? I was there a couple months ago and I tried to keep my eyes closed and walk on the blind paths! It was pretty cool
You are really incredible! And brave to cross that street in Manhattan. You raise such an excellent point about why all crosswalks don't have speakers. Rock on!
On top of a tone for crossing (which might also be good for the visually impaired and day dreamers) it might also be nice to put a bit of a texture on the walking area. I imagine that some cities with brick style cross walks help because a blind person with a cane can feel those cracks in the bricks. Parts of Oshawa (ontario, canada) in downtown have this, but not all cross walks, and not all cross walks have lights, so for a sighted person you just wait until the cars stop and cross. A blind person wouldn't know unless they can hear the car stop and the engine idle while they wait for you to cross.
In my little town of Starke Florida there are no audible crossing signals. Drives me crazy (cheapskates lol!) crossing Highway 301 is a nightmare, especially with cars turning.
I've always wondered about that when certain crossing have sound that beeps or chirps. Scares the heck out of my friends, but I become curious and try to find where the heck the sound is coming from! XD
Cool video Tommy! I am legally blind so I use my vision mostly to cross the street but my hearing as well. I was always curious how a completely blind person would do it. I’ve never seen streetlights that would indicate tonally how to cross the street, very cool!Thanks for sharing!
You, sir, are much braver than I ever could be!! I would be terrified, I was feeling a bit scared just watching the video. You just might be my new hero.
In England most of the crossings have a beeping tone, but they all have a little dial underneath the box where you press the crossing button. The dial turns when it is time to cross so you just need to keep your finger on the dial to know when. Pretty useful !
In norway all of the light crossings have blind assistance, the noise from the lights can get annoying for inhabitants, so instead there is a box on the pole where you press a button to cross, hidden on the underside of that box, is a little screw that starts rotating when it is ready cross. If it is a quiet area, you can hear the litte whirr of the screw turning, but it is meant to be held on to for noisy areas. I see these in britain too sometimes.
I think it comes down to familiarity and planning. He deliberately cut off his sight, had no expectation of it. It was a challenge. Not being able to see because it's dark and you want light is another matter. Familiarity comes down to how well you know your environment. I've lived in this house for most of my life, so I can generally just walk downstairs in the dark, make a U turn and turn on the downstairs light. I feel my way in the dark often because I'm night shift. Used to it.
In my home town (in NZ) all the crossings have a beeping sound and also a box you can touch next to the cross button that pulses along with the beeps and then vibrates when it's time to walk. I'm not sure who it serves (maybe I'm underestimating the both blind and deaf folk) but I like to use it for fun :)
They should put bumps on the edges of crosswalks so that blind people can tell if they're starting to walk outside of the crosswalk into traffic. That's kind of scary.
There are actually ways to do this, using what's known a Speed Table. Essentially, it's a speed bump with a flat top that's the width of a normal sidewalk placed at the intersection or mid-block. One big advantage for pedestrians of all types is that a raised crosswalk or speed table increases the amount of cars that correctly yield to pedestrians - in once instance, compliance went from 10% to 55%. They're expensive, though: one can easily cost $100,000, or as little as $15,000.
At most traffic lights in the UK underneath the box where you press the button if you want to cross there is a cone-shape. When it is safe to cross this spins. Though it is not as good as sound it is better than nothing.
The traffic lights in California (OC) talk to you, when you press the button it says "wait" and then when it turns green, the light beeps and says "Go"
Cross walks, that I've noticed, in California don't all have the beepers. It seems that they only have the speakers when you're in a highly concentrated area, like down town or a main road. Also some cities have them completely and some have none at all. More cross walks are adopting the bumps on the ground though, so maybe the speakers for when to cross will show up as well.
In Fort Collins, Colorado, they have crosswalks that chirp like birds, and it speeds up as time ticks down. I used to find them annoying, since i would hear them from my apartment. Now... I have a greater appreciation for them.
In England it's law that every traffic light crossing has a tune. It's very loud :P There's also a little dial, located underneath the button you press to stop traffic, that turns around when the lights are green so that deaf people can tell when the lights are green too.
I'm a new fan. You are very funny and its very nice that you can laugh about a nervous "adventure" like that when I was biting my nails watching this at the time haha
A few people have commented that in the UK, it is very common to see patterned paving to help warn people with visual impairments about crossings and such, but these aren't always accurate. The different patterns and colours have different meanings. They are often misused on train stations and towns implementing the new 'shared paving' idea, where even sighted people have difficulty distinguishing where the road ends and the pavement begins.
In the UK every crossing has a small knob hidden under the controller. you can hold onto it and it spins when the crossing is safe to cross. This is on damn near every crossing i've ever checked. We also have beeping or voice prompts at 90% of them.
In Australia, every pedestrian crossing has one of those, except the sound comes from just above the large call button, and you can touch the speaker cover to feel the direction of the crossing relative to the button, as well as the speaker pulse, so you don't get confused with another crossing. Here's an example: /watch?v=LL1YQ7esz48
![Jack Harlow - Hello Miss Johnson [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q86_nlRoIGw/mqdefault.jpg)
It really made me mad that there was a blind man with a white cane crossing that street and people were just zipping around him in their cars not even caring at that intersection. What is wrong with people??? What does it hurt to just wait that extra few seconds to let the guy cross?
Welcome to New York City. Ain't nobody got time for that, unfortunately.
BlackburnBigdragon apparently it hurts something fierce.
No ones gonna care until they start suspending licenses and impounding cars... I saw this one video of a guy blocking the sidewalk in SF and when questioned but the reporter if he knew that affects people in wheelchairs, the guy just said, I don't give a shit....
I love how everybody always assume bad things on their own without even thinking of other possibilities, how about this, at least one person offered help maybe even more than one, but they were like "Oh thanks but we're recording a video about how a blind person could cross the street on their own" of course it's just a possibility but I like to think there's a higher chance that's what happened.
It’s New York. Same as Chicago. No one stops for anything
That looks scary as fuck. Even sighted people get hit by cars.
really?
I've been hit by a car a few times, people can be such bastards.
People really fucking make me sick........ how are you gonna beep at a blind man crossing the street the just speed off like that, but I love the fact that he just kept on smiling and keeping a positive attitude WAY TO GO TOMMY 👏👏
what pissed me off was the blue car that went and sped right in front of him like...the fuck??? that is why i help the blind people that live in my city when i see them out walking (there's like 5 or 6 that i know of)
in the Netherlands when you see a person with a white stick for blind people or a helper dog you are forced by law to let them.cross first.
It's that way in America too, regardless of blind or not. Pedestrians almost always have the right of way in cross walks and intersections. That said, not everybody follows those guidelines.
Erik R he meant even if there isn't a pedestrian crossing. Either with or without lights.
I personally have not yet encountered it, but know that when a blind/otherwise disabled person indicates he wants to cross the road, I have to stop.
In the Netherlands people are civilized. Most prob do not need the law to show compassion. Manhattan is dangerous to all pedestrians. The bike riders are the #1 criminals.
gkbluestocking not every biker
Honestly, it should be everywhere!
That would scare the hell out of me if I was blind and I had to cross the street without knowing where the cars were. I admire you and many other people that are blind.
Those people are so rude, they beep and just drive right past him being so close.
Most people suck.
***** i absolutely agree - most people are egocentric and don't care for others in the slightest.
***** It's really always like that there?!
this made me nervous watching this
Is that why you put two thises
@@fluffy695 I was so nervous I couldn't contain I myself
That looks absolutely terrifying. I can't imagine that all the practice in the world truly prepares you for something like that.
The first time I was with my blind student when he was learning to cross the street by himself I was nearly having a heart attack. The biggest problem wasn't the blind kid crossing the street, it was the people turning right that weren't watching. I totally agree that all traffic lights should either have a tone or a verbal countdown that let's the visually impaired know when it's safe to cross. Watching Tommy almost get flatened by that car definitley brought back memories.
Tommy, how do you feel about being offered help crossing the road if there's no tone? I'd feel bad for just leaving someone to judge the sound of oncoming traffic, but then I wouldn't want to sound patronising.
Of course he can, he has software to do it for him.
***** And if he has software that reads it out to him, then he can hear my original comment. What exactly is your point?
He's made another video saying that he's fine with anyone asking if he wants help. So if you saw him about to cross the road and there was no tone, I'm sure he'd be fine with you helping :)
how and why do you think he does his videos? His videos are responses to peoples questions in the comments...
You say very politely, "may I help you cross the street, sir?"
All crossings (if not broken) here in Dublin, Ireland have a tone and the button vibrates when it is time to cross. When you have been growing up with that all your life, if is hard to believe that there are modern cities out there that don't have any!
The crossings in the UK have a little spinning thing under the button you push to cross. When you feel it start to spin, you can cross. It is better then a noise making box, because in high traffic areas the noise would have to be very loud to be heard.
We also have triangles on either side of the road and a bumpy surface on the pavement so it's easier for people with a cane to recognize and stay on the crossing. I'm amazed the big cities don't have that as standard!
In the UK, traffic light have a little motorised cylindrical thing that moves when it's safe to cross under the box that has the button on it. They also have a noise xD
All Australian crossings have noise too. I think some of them also a button that vibrates when it's safe to cross.
yep like Nerissa said all Australian one's beep but it's not the button that vibrates its the metal penal above the buttons, it has the speak behind it and it vibrates. as far as I know all lights have this.
Actually the main reason for not having the beeps is at a junction where there are multiple crossings and when one is safe to cross the other isn't. Standalone crossings which aren't at junctions (rare in London) will tend to have the beeper.
At Orange County airport (SNA) the cross walk will talk to you. It says "wait", "walk sign is on", and gives a countdown when the flashing hand is on. Very cool!
In Ireland everyone has to push a button on a pole for the traffic to stop, and there are sounds for the blind and also a little cone on the bottom of the box that spins when you have to go. You just grab the cone and wait for it to spin, then walk. :)
It's very convenient
Same here in England too
yup, here in new zealand we have the tones for all the lights. so when i went to america on holiday, it was a strange experience. i kept on missing my turn because i was looking in some other direction, too used to relying on the sound.
You are awesome. I have an 18yr old daughter who is visually impaired, and who is just as curious and afraid too. But nothing holds her back to try things. Thanks for your videos. We love them and love you. Thank you!
I love it I met other blind people on here! I am not alone!
In Sweden, all the ped crossings which have lights also has a sound signal. They always make a sound so you can find them. But there are of course crossings with no lights or sounds, and they can be quite hard for the blind. But in the city there are always one with sounds and lights close by.
I have propensity to retinal detachment and I have fear that some day go blind. you are my inspiration thanks
god bless you
In college I started trying to navigate the city with my eyes closed... got pretty good at it; got hit a few times; ran into a few things; but all in all a great experience to learn what it's like to navigate while visually impaired. Now I'm glad to say I get to apply it to my work as a traffic engineer, where audible signals (among other devices) are now standard in our area. Things are still far from perfect, but helping engineers gain this awareness and knowledge is the first important step.
Once I saw an aggitated blind girl at an intersection & asked if I could help. turned out she'd gone past a certain building at U of Toronto she was aiming for. She knew she'd gone too far but having missed it, wasn't sure how to backtrack. I ran down the block, identified the building, then walked with her to the entrance & she felt confident from there. I think she resented my helping, but I'm glad I stopped. When I'm lost, I ask for help, but I can see who's there to ask! My respect to her!
In the UK, there are bumps on the footpath so that blind folk can feel where there's a crossing with their feet (or cane). Some crossings have a turning dial underneath the button that you can feel & it rotates when it isn't safe to go & stops rotating when it's safe. Other crossings beep when it's safe to go & stop beeping when it's not safe. There are also bumps on the road at some crossings to outline the crossing (to keep you on track so you don't wander off down the road). It's great.
In spain we also have tones in all trafic lights! Even in small towns like mine :)
As i found out after completing the TommyEdisonXP playlist, Tommy has a video about "How to Offer a Blind Person Help"
555th comment and he is such a nice man. I feel bad. I cry when I see him! He doesn't care if he is blind but he has a smile that will make my day! Live a good life Tommy and I hope he will help the people who do have blindness or things like that a wonderful life as well.
Our crossings in the UK beep when its safe to cross, they also have a cone under the unit that spins
In sweden there's frequent signals coming out at the cross points. When the signals are short and fast, it's green to go, andwhen they are long and short, you wait for the cars to drive by.
In downtown Pittsburgh all of the crossings have two tones one low and one high that bleep every second. And a voice that tells you when to go and when its not safe to cross
Toronto (Ontario, Canada) has some beeping crosswalks. However, they don't beep / vibrate ALL the time. You have to press the button and hold it down for a few seconds, to activate the beeping / vibrating. One downside of that is locating the button in the first place - it does make a quiet noise, but if you are blind and also deaf or hard of hearing, it's a challenge to find it or know it's there since not all signals have the beeping / vibration!
I really admire ur courage crossing the street without seeing the cars or anything !!! , you r sooo brave
In the UK 90% of signal operated crossings have a small textured cone beneath the controll box, the blind person holds their hand against this small cone and when it starts to spin, it indicates when they have right of way.
I want to hug his man, and that's a lot to say because I don't express this kind emotions very often.
In Sweden we have clicks that indicate the traffic lights at crossings. Slow ticking means red, and fast ticking means green. Then it's some kind of interval that indicates it's about to turn red again.
I've also seen at some places they have a kind of braille on the box where you push the button, that shows what the crossing looks like and where cars will be coming from, so you know in case you don't have time to cross the whole street (when there's little platform to stand between the lanes).
That is courage man. good job.
@boredincan I live just outside of Houston, TX, and all of the crossings in my neighborhood (thankfully!) have audible sounds to indicate crossings. Crossings near schools, churches, or busy roads also have yellow traffic signs a few seconds back from the light saying "Crosswalk Used by the Blind," or something to that effect.
I always forget other areas don't have that sound, though, so while traveling, even I, while messing with my phone or chatting, end up missing my turn to cross!
That is so scary
Milford Green!
You were in my home town. :)
Back in my hometown there was a blind lady that I used to see cross the street once in a while. It was a wide four lane street. The first time I saw her I was riding my bike and I had to slow down to make sure she would cross fine. She stood at the curb for a good 30 minutes. She didn't use the cross walk either. I felt so bad but I felt I'd be wrong to asked her if she needed help. I'd see her cross that street so many times. She had alot of close calls but it didn't stop her from going out there every day. I truly admired her.
like the other people are saying, in the u.k there is a little dial underneath where you press the button, so if there is no beeping, it will spin, also, at the crossing, the path with have bumps on it so you know where to stand and will be the same on the opposite side so you know when you have crossed the road safely
+Sian Greenwood I was just about to comment saying this! good job! :)
+Sian Greenwood It's very smart and works really well. There's a busy dual carriageway on my way to the train station and it 's a jaggard crossing. For some reason there's a lot of blind people that live near it as well. Never seen a single one have any trouble crossing. The bumps work, the spinner works, and if not the sound of the traffic is really clear. Plenty of time to cross (unlike the one shown in Tommy's video), it's interesting watching these blind people be so confident, if they knew how insanely busy it is though.
+Sian Greenwood where i live all the dials have gum on
How come crosswalk lines aren't slightly raised? I mean so that people who are blind or visually impaired can stay within the white lines and don't get off track.
Sifu Hotman then cars passing over at high speeds might risk damage, unless I am misinterpreting what your idea of "slightly raised" is
ImAwesomeAli It would be more of a speed bump kind of thing and your supposed to tun at no more than 15mph anyways so the car wouldn't get damaged
ImAwesomeAli I was thinking slightly raised just so that a white cane could feel the difference. It wouldn't do any damage to cars, as it would be no higher than say a couple cm. I know in the town where I live, there are bricks as the crosswalk ground, which feel different than the regular pavement.
+Sifu Hotman Imagine roads that have snow tho. They would be scrapping up the raised part :/
+Sifu Hotman then people in wheelchairs would have a hard time crossing the street.
In the UK we have little ridged cylinders on crossings so that if there isn't a beep, you can put your hand on it and wait for it to rotate, then you know it's safe to cross
And at places like pedestrian crossings where there aren't any lights, cars are required to stop if there's a person there so you're safe anytime. plus in front of all crossings the pavement has little ridges all over it so you can feel it with the stick and know you're at a crossing
My heart breaks. But he is getting on. Good on ya!
Do a video on getting dressed by yourself (matching clothes) or clothing shopping in general
I rememeber the first time I stood next to a talking traffic light (instead of a beeping one), it freaked me out so much. This voice from the sky kept telling me to "Walk! Walk! Walk!"
A few years ago they installed clicking noises when the light is green and "wait wait wait" when the light is red and you push the button. Never knew what they were till now :o
Where I live, in England, every crossing point beeps loudly and also has a small motor on the bottom that turns when you are safe to go.
In japan there are raised crosswalks where the path is patterned with raised bars to direct the blind. Not only cross walks but sometimes sidewalks too. We should do that.
wow. God bless you man!
1:47 Thought he was about to get in that van and drive off for a moment haha.
Did you know that in Japan most of the major cities have 3D patterns on the ground to indicate a side walk, a cross walk, or an intersection? I was there a couple months ago and I tried to keep my eyes closed and walk on the blind paths! It was pretty cool
Wow, I love your videos, Tommy! Keep up the good work!
im so glad things like this are on youtube. this is really cool, i enjoy these videos!
here in the netherlands we have a slow clicking sound when the light is red and a fast clicking sound when the light is green.
As in Sweden. :)
graaf yep
He is blind, but He is still Smiling and Happy.. Awesome!
You are really incredible! And brave to cross that street in Manhattan. You raise such an excellent point about why all crosswalks don't have speakers. Rock on!
Tommy, thanks for making this video, showing us your world and your perspective.
On top of a tone for crossing (which might also be good for the visually impaired and day dreamers) it might also be nice to put a bit of a texture on the walking area. I imagine that some cities with brick style cross walks help because a blind person with a cane can feel those cracks in the bricks.
Parts of Oshawa (ontario, canada) in downtown have this, but not all cross walks, and not all cross walks have lights, so for a sighted person you just wait until the cars stop and cross. A blind person wouldn't know unless they can hear the car stop and the engine idle while they wait for you to cross.
like an accident waiting to happen, amazing he's alive
In my little town of Starke Florida there are no audible crossing signals. Drives me crazy (cheapskates lol!) crossing Highway 301 is a nightmare, especially with cars turning.
I've always wondered about that when certain crossing have sound that beeps or chirps. Scares the heck out of my friends, but I become curious and try to find where the heck the sound is coming from! XD
Cool video Tommy! I am legally blind so I use my vision mostly to cross the street but my hearing as well. I was always curious how a completely blind person would do it. I’ve never seen streetlights that would indicate tonally how to cross the street, very cool!Thanks for sharing!
You, sir, are much braver than I ever could be!! I would be terrified, I was feeling a bit scared just watching the video. You just might be my new hero.
All traffic lights make noises in Australia
You are so inspirational!!! Keep making videos
In England most of the crossings have a beeping tone, but they all have a little dial underneath the box where you press the crossing button. The dial turns when it is time to cross so you just need to keep your finger on the dial to know when. Pretty useful
!
Another interesting and entertaining video, thanks Tommy!
Thank you!! I have been too scared to try it myself! Great job!
In my town's downtown it has a computerised voice telling you when to cross and it makes a loud ticking noise when the time goes down
Great video and you are commended for your sense of humor and outlook on life!
Move to the Uk, all crossing chirp, and there are studs at each side so you can tell where the crossing starts and ends, as well as the road
In norway all of the light crossings have blind assistance, the noise from the lights can get annoying for inhabitants, so instead there is a box on the pole where you press a button to cross, hidden on the underside of that box, is a little screw that starts rotating when it is ready cross. If it is a quiet area, you can hear the litte whirr of the screw turning, but it is meant to be held on to for noisy areas. I see these in britain too sometimes.
This is a great video thanks for getting this message out!
Love your videos, hope you make more soon :)
I think it comes down to familiarity and planning. He deliberately cut off his sight, had no expectation of it. It was a challenge. Not being able to see because it's dark and you want light is another matter.
Familiarity comes down to how well you know your environment. I've lived in this house for most of my life, so I can generally just walk downstairs in the dark, make a U turn and turn on the downstairs light. I feel my way in the dark often because I'm night shift. Used to it.
So there are people helping you to edit & shoot video? Nice man. Keep up the good work.
In my home town (in NZ) all the crossings have a beeping sound and also a box you can touch next to the cross button that pulses along with the beeps and then vibrates when it's time to walk. I'm not sure who it serves (maybe I'm underestimating the both blind and deaf folk) but I like to use it for fun :)
They should put bumps on the edges of crosswalks so that blind people can tell if they're starting to walk outside of the crosswalk into traffic. That's kind of scary.
Tommy, are you from CT? I live about an hour north of Milford. I enjoy learning about those making a difference in my small state!
That blue car pissed me off
DId you forget about nearest parellel traffic surges? Glad you made it across!
There are actually ways to do this, using what's known a Speed Table. Essentially, it's a speed bump with a flat top that's the width of a normal sidewalk placed at the intersection or mid-block. One big advantage for pedestrians of all types is that a raised crosswalk or speed table increases the amount of cars that correctly yield to pedestrians - in once instance, compliance went from 10% to 55%. They're expensive, though: one can easily cost $100,000, or as little as $15,000.
you are hilarious, thank u for giving people more knowledge about those who have a lack of sight
Keep going my friend.. We live in a cruel world
At most traffic lights in the UK underneath the box where you press the button if you want to cross there is a cone-shape. When it is safe to cross this spins. Though it is not as good as sound it is better than nothing.
The traffic lights in California (OC) talk to you, when you press the button it says "wait" and then when it turns green, the light beeps and says "Go"
Cross walks, that I've noticed, in California don't all have the beepers. It seems that they only have the speakers when you're in a highly concentrated area, like down town or a main road. Also some cities have them completely and some have none at all. More cross walks are adopting the bumps on the ground though, so maybe the speakers for when to cross will show up as well.
In Fort Collins, Colorado, they have crosswalks that chirp like birds, and it speeds up as time ticks down. I used to find them annoying, since i would hear them from my apartment. Now... I have a greater appreciation for them.
In England it's law that every traffic light crossing has a tune. It's very loud :P There's also a little dial, located underneath the button you press to stop traffic, that turns around when the lights are green so that deaf people can tell when the lights are green too.
I'm a new fan. You are very funny and its very nice that you can laugh about a nervous "adventure" like that when I was biting my nails watching this at the time haha
Amazing video you are an inspiration and you cheer me up and I have just losted my eye sight i only see blur
I would gladly help you. I know you don't think it's a big deal and you're nonchalant about it but you're my hero man!
A few people have commented that in the UK, it is very common to see patterned paving to help warn people with visual impairments about crossings and such, but these aren't always accurate. The different patterns and colours have different meanings. They are often misused on train stations and towns implementing the new 'shared paving' idea, where even sighted people have difficulty distinguishing where the road ends and the pavement begins.
I'm blind myself and live in Ireland. I'm currently saving money for a trip to New York. This video is a real help to me.
Hey that's my town!! Welcome to Milford!
this literally had me in tears... HOW HARD IS IT TO HAVE NOISE SIGNALS?!?!
all wahat i can say is THIS MAN IS REAL HERO,
In the UK every crossing has a small knob hidden under the controller. you can hold onto it and it spins when the crossing is safe to cross. This is on damn near every crossing i've ever checked. We also have beeping or voice prompts at 90% of them.
Don't try this in any Mexican city. The drivers usually don't respect pedestrian.
Callate el hocico
In Australia, every pedestrian crossing has one of those, except the sound comes from just above the large call button, and you can touch the speaker cover to feel the direction of the crossing relative to the button, as well as the speaker pulse, so you don't get confused with another crossing.
Here's an example: /watch?v=LL1YQ7esz48