Pedestrian ditty replaces bird chirp alert at Prince George crosswalks

Despite its grandiose name, theCanadian Melodysounds more like apedestrian ditty than a symphonic passage.

But the four-tone tuneis getting more and more air play atcrosswalks from coast to coast, and this weekmarks its debut in Prince George, B.C..

The melodywas created to set a new standard for audible intersection alerts.Audibles, as they are called, helpvisually impaired people cross streetsmore safely by alerting them to the walk signal and providing directional sounds to move towards, known as wayfinding.

Melody replaces birdchirp

Canada'straditional crosswalk audible is a chirping sound.

But safety officials feared that soundwas too easily mimicked by real birds,whichcould mislead pedestrians.

So,the chirp isbeing replaced by the Canadian Melody.

Delta, B.C. companyNovaxIndustries, in concert with the University of Ottawa and the InstitutNazareth etLouis Braille, started developing the tune in the 1990s.

Also popular at American intersections

"We've got tens of thousands of accessible signals we've put around Canada and the U.S. and abroad," saidDouglasGubbe,Novax'svice-presidentand chief technical officer.

"It's always nice to hear them. It just makes intersections friendlier."

Green-lighted by government officials years ago, the Canadian Melody already plays at crossingsin placeslike Halifax and Ottawa. But itsroad side rollout has been slow.

Gubbe saysGreater Vancouver's crosswalks still feature the old chirping bird.

'Loud, clear, annoying...'

In Prince George, pedestrians in downtown compared the new tuneto an ice cream truckor the horn ofa clowncar.

"It's ear splittingly annoying," said Alex Skipper, as he crossed Victoria Street to the accompaniment ofCanadian Melody."But at least it's loud and clear."

Gubbesays audible crossing alerts help not just the visually impaired, but alsotextingteenagerswho sometimes have their eyes gluedto iPhones, and distracted walkers, all of whom can benefit from an audible cue to start crossing the street.

With files from Daybreak North

To listen to the full interview, click the link labelled:Pedestrian ditty replaces bird chirp alert at local crosswalks.