Pamela Berman, who is blind, got the scare of her life while walking across a Chicago street when she belatedly realized she had walked diagonally through the intersection. That meant she was risking her life by walking through traffic. Luckily, she crossed unharmed.

“It was very upsetting,” she said.

Now, she is thankful that the city of Chicago is installing audible traffic crossing signals for people with vision problems. “It’s fantastic,” she said.

The city “is off to a strong start” in its first year of a court-ordered program to install crossing signals for the visually impaired, an independent monitor found — though none of the new signals inspected met all technical requirements.

Chicago installed accessible pedestrian signals, or APS, at 78 intersections — eight more than required initially. With previously installed signals, that brings the total to 165 intersections with the signals, representing about 6% of nearly 2,800 pedestrian signalized intersections.

Judge orders Chicago to install audible crossing signals for the blind and visually impaired

Last year, to speed up the slow pace of installation, a federal judge ordered the city to begin installing 1,844 signals over 10 years to provide safer crossings to blind and low-vision pedestrians, and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Overall, of 756 APS devices assessed, monitor Michael Shaw found 91 APS devices were found fully compliant with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

In total, 1,789 deficiencies were recorded regarding placement, functionality, maintenance or accessibility. Consistency in installing the signals is incredibly important to someone who can’t see and is trying to find and use them at a loud, busy intersection.

The problems included push-buttons located too high or low, or too far from the curb or crosswalk; poor illumination; improperly aligned tactile arrows; and the volume and duration of the signals.

Each signal is mounted on a traffic light pole and has a ticking locator tone. The user must press a button to activate it. The signal may tell the user to wait, and may give intersection information, before it gives a spoken message, vibration or beeping signal to cross.

Disability Rights Advocates filed a lawsuit in 2019 on behalf of the American Council of the Blind of Metropolitan Chicago to force the signal installations, which have been common for years in some other cities. San Francisco and Seattle have hundreds of such signals, and New York has thousands.

“Chicago was far behind the times,” attorney Rachel Weisberg said. “We’re glad to see that progress is being made, but we’re concerned about the deficiencies. We’ll work to make sure the signals are working optimally for people.”

The signals were prioritized at dangerous intersections, near public transportation and facilities, and by public request. Many of the signals are concentrated in and near downtown, in the Loop and Near West Side, River North, Streeterville and the Gold Coast.

The goal is to have the signals at all city intersections by the end of 2040. The city set up a website and a 311 phone line to take requests for signal installation or repairs.

As for Berman, she only knows of four auditory signals in her Bowmanville neighborhood on the North Side, and is hoping for more.

With the help of her guide dog, a yellow lab named Brian, she navigates the city to go shopping, meet family and friends and make presentations for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

“They should be louder,” she said of the signals. “Other than that, it’s wonderful.”