Manual crosswalk buttons a step back for disabled community, says advocate

During the pandemic, most walk signs at St. John's crosswalks came on automatically.

The city made the change so people wouldn't have to touch the same walk button.

It was to help slowthe spread of COVID-19.

On March 1, the city switched 10 intersections back to push button activation, "to ensure the Metrobus scheduling would not be impacted," according to a statement.

Sheldon Crocker, a disability advocate who lives with arthrogryposis, says that's a dangerous change.

Learn more from his perspective in the video above.

Note: The intersectionsincluded in the video are automated. See the full list of affected intersections below.

The following intersections have pedestrian push buttons:

• Freshwater Road at Crosbie Road.
• LeMarchant Road at Cookstown Road.
• Harvey Road at Long's Hill.
• Prince Philip Drive at Westerland Road and Clinch Crescent.
• Topsail Road at Hamlyn Road.
• Portugal Cove Road at Higgins Line.
• Prince Philip Drive at Portugal Cove Road.
• Thorburn Road at O'Leary Avenue and Larkhall Street.
• Torbay Road at Stavanger Drive.
• Torbay Road at MacDonald Drive.

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