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Guiding lights
By Vidushi Seneviratne
A new traffic light system to help visually handicapped and hearing-impaired individuals was installed in Colombo on the International Day for Disabled Persons which fell on December 3. Set up by the Colombo Municipal Council at the pedestrian crossing situated on Dean's Road, opposite the Eye Hospital, it was declared open by the Mayor of Colombo.

"The facility is an inbuilt traffic signal system to ensure safety and convenience for these persons while crossing the road. As the green light for the pedestrian comes on, a siren and a countdown clock on a screen is activated," explained Superintendent Engineer, Traffic and Road Design of the Colombo Municipal Council, J.A. Guruge.

"The siren will ensure that it is safe for visually handicapped individuals to cross while the twenty second countdown appearing on a screen would do the same for the hearing impaired. As it is an inbuilt, automatic system, there is no need to manually activate it by pressing a button," he added.

The CMC plans to install this facility at fifteen crossings within the city of Colombo at busy places such as the Castle Street junction, Milagiriya junction, opposite the Colombo University and the American Embassy in Kollupitiya.

A visually handicapped person present on the occasion said this venture by the CMC was greatly appreciated. "It will be a great help, especially as there have been road accidents at this spot," he said.

Speaking of the difficulties they have to face in society, he said that it is an accepted norm that at least three percent of disabled citizens should be given some sort of employment by the state. Though this takes place in most other countries, such arrangements are still lacking in Sri Lanka. "We could easily be employed as telephone operators, shorthand typists or in similar jobs, but unfortunately we are left out," he said.

Mrs. M.H. Wijeratne, Principal, School for the Hearing Impaired, Ratmalana, said such a traffic signal system would be of immense help to individuals with disabilities. "Installing this in an area such as the Golumadama junction in Ratmalana would be greatly appreciated as well. Numerous children from our school as well as the School for the Visually Handicapped are often on the road, and at present it is extremely dangerous for them."

A spokesperson for the Federation for the Visually Handicapped agreed. "Sri Lanka is quite backward in this aspect, so this effort should be commended. There have been isolated instances where similar systems have been set up, but whether they are still in working condition is questionable," he says.

"Another system available in many other countries are tactile blocks, which is a type of tile fixed on to the tarred road, which would inform a visually handicapped person that he has reached a pedestrian crossing. Such methods could be adopted here as well, in order to make life easier for individuals with disabilities." Twenty white canes were also presented to visually handicapped persons along with gift parcels by Odel Unlimited at the ceremony.

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