Touchless crosswalk buttons installed in Saskatoon to improve accessibility

The City of Saskatoon is upgrading pedestrian crosswalk signals to make them touchless and more accessible.

This upgrade includes 20 signals in and around the downtown sector.

The city said the accessible pedestrian signals help people with visual or hearing challenges by creating sound and vibration cues, and these new ones can be activated by waving your hand in front of the push button.

1:44 Zipper merge guidelines revisited as Saskatchewan construction season begins

“These signals employ distinctive auditory sounds — a ‘cuckoo’ for north/south and a ‘chirp’ for east/west directions, supplemented by voice messages at select intersections,” the city said.

Funding for this upgrade came from the federal government’s Canada Healthy Communities Initiative, which was created to fund small-scale infrastructure projects with a focus on safety and inclusivity.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“The City remains committed to ongoing programs that retrofit older intersections with APS devices, meaning accessibility measures are consistently prioritized,” says Jay Magus, director of transportation.

More information on pedestrian safety can be found on the city’s website.