Audible Pedestrian Signals (APS)
Audible Pedestrian Signals (APS) are the sounds heard at intersections in the City. These sounds indicate when pedestrians can safely cross an intersection as well as which direction pedestrians can cross safely. APS provide improved security for visually impaired pedestrians by allowing them greater mobility.
APS increase the attention of all pedestrians to turning traffic and may contribute to a reduction in the number of pedestrian-vehicle collisions. They also increase the speed at which all pedestrians cross the road by drawing their attention to the crossing signal.
Ottawa is a Canadian leader with respect to the installation of APS, with 452 currently installed, and this number increases every year.
Search the list of locations equipped with APS in the City of Ottawa.
View the list of locations equipped with APS in the City of Ottawa.
Audible Pedestrian Signals
Types of Sounds
There are two different sets of signals:
1. Main Sounds1
- North - South crossing - “cuckoo” – click to listen
- East - West crossing
- peep-peep – click to listen or
- Canadian Melody – click to listen
2. Sounds that are being phased out
- North - South crossing – bell
- East - West crossing – buzzer
The bells and buzzers are gradually being phased out and being replaced with the bird tones/Canadian Melody.
The majority of the intersections use a combination of bird sounds, a “cuckoo” for north-south crossings and a “peep-peep” tone (or Canadian Melody) for east-west crossings.
To activate the audible portion of the walk signal, pedestrians must push and hold a crosswalk button for three seconds. Holding the button for less time will not activate the audible signal.
For more information about Audible Pedestrian Signals, please e-mail traffic@ottawa.ca
1 Copyrighted sounds, courtesy of Novax
℗ 1991, Novax Industries Corporation