Soundscape: Street Crossings Part 1

Acoustic street crossing signals have become "soundmarks" within the urban soundscape. Here are four short videos that provide variations on signaling around the world.

Pedestrian Light (:37) Michal Rinott documents an intersection in which a red no walk signal includes a beeping sound. The walk signal is silence. Source: Vimeo.

Street Crossing (2:57) Ronald Lambert's video of  "Street Crossings" documents a sound installation - a duet. "The work performs along side an existing gesture of municipal aesthetics in the urban soundscape, in downtown Nashville. Electronic bleeps and blips punctuate the urban traffic drone when it is time cross the street. This work fills and extends that moment with a superimposed sonic layer." Source: Vimeo

Signals for Blind  (:10) Music is used to guide blind pedestrians across an intersection.  A blind person can hear one specific sound when the east-west street is clear for crossing, and another distinctly different sound when the north-south street is clear for crossing. Source: YouTube

Street Crossing in Costa Rica (:57) Bird sounds signal pedestrians to cross this complex soundscape of urban traffic.