Common Problems Arising in the Installation of Accessible Pedestrian Signals

Pushbutton locator tone

The pushbutton locator tone is a low-volume tick or tone that repeats constantly, at one-second intervals, during the flashing and steady DON’T WALK intervals to advise pedestrians of pushbutton availability and location. The 2003 MUTCD requires that locator tone volume be carefully adjusted to be audible a minimum of 1.8 m (6 feet) and a maximum of 3.7 m (12 feet) from the pushbutton, or to the building line, whichever is less. The pushbutton locator tone on a properly-installed pushbutton can also indicate the crossing location to an approaching pedestrian and may provide useful cues to an irregular crossing.