Every man and his dog loves a nighttime stroll - but you're out of luck if you're blind in Brisbane. Visually impaired people in the Queensland capital have effectively been placed under a curfew, with the city's audible traffic crossing signals switched off overnight to appease residents who say the pings are too loud. Graeme Innes, the legally blind Australian Disability Discrimination Commissioner, says he felt restricted during a recent trip to the city. Unfair: Legally blind Australian Disability Discrimination Commissioner said he felt like he was under 'curfew' in Brisbane with audible traffic signals switched off overnight . The Brisbane City Council, the country's largest, has angered Innes, after they switched off pings at intersections between 9.30pm and 6.30am to satisfy CBD residents unhappy about the noise. Mr Innes was in Brisbane at the weekend for a meeting about information services for the blind and vision impaired. 'Effectively we were on a curfew because at 9.30 at night the audible traffic signals are turned off and they don't go back on until 6.30 in the morning,' he told ABC radio. 'If we were out later than that at night, or up and about before 6.30, which I often am because I take my guide dog for a walk, we didn't have the benefit of signals to cross roads.' Curfew: The pings go silent in the Brisbane CBD between 9.30pm and 6.30am . Mr Innes says he's never come across the situation in other capital cities, and residents must know there's an element of noise associated with living in CBDs. He also noted traffic signals contained sensors which reduced the level of sound at quiet times, such as at night. Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner said signals generally were switched off in the CBD between 9.30pm and 6.30am, as part of an effort to balance the views of residents with the needs of pedestrians. But he said the council was happy to modify the hours of operation based on requests and demand. Noise pollution: Residents complained the sounds made by pedestrian crossing signals were too loud . 'Whenever we receive a request we'll do a review. In February we received a request for extended hours at about four or five CBD intersections and as a result those intersections are now operating 24-hours a day,' Mr Schrinner told the ABC. Asked why the council shouldn't have signals running around the clock, Mr Schrinner said: 'It comes down to balancing the demands of use of those intersections with the concerns of residents as well.' 'Where there's a need for it, where there's facilities operating late into the night, absolutely you can see the rationale for it,' he said. Compromise: The deputy mayor of Brisbane, Australia's largest council, said 'four or five' CBD intersections now boast 24-hour audible signals .
Road crossing pings switched off between 9.30pm and 6.30am in Brisbane .
Disability Discrimination Commissioner said it is a 'curfew' on the blind .
Residents complained that the signals were too loud .
Every man and his dog loves a nighttime stroll - but you're out of luck if you're blind in Brisbane. Visually impaired people in the Queensland capital have effectively been placed under a curfew, with the city's audible traffic crossing signals switched off overnight to appease residents who say the pings are too loud. Graeme Innes, the legally blind Australian Disability Discrimination Commissioner, says he felt restricted during a recent trip to the city. Unfair: Legally blind Australian Disability Discrimination Commissioner said he felt like he was under 'curfew' in Brisbane with audible traffic signals switched off overnight . The Brisbane City Council, the country's largest, has angered Innes, after they switched off pings at intersections between 9.30pm and 6.30am to satisfy CBD residents unhappy about the noise. Mr Innes was in Brisbane at the weekend for a meeting about information services for the blind and vision impaired. 'Effectively we were on a curfew because at 9.30 at night the audible traffic signals are turned off and they don't go back on until 6.30 in the morning,' he told ABC radio. 'If we were out later than that at night, or up and about before 6.30, which I often am because I take my guide dog for a walk, we didn't have the benefit of signals to cross roads.' Curfew: The pings go silent in the Brisbane CBD between 9.30pm and 6.30am . Mr Innes says he's never come across the situation in other capital cities, and residents must know there's an element of noise associated with living in CBDs. He also noted traffic signals contained sensors which reduced the level of sound at quiet times, such as at night. Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner said signals generally were switched off in the CBD between 9.30pm and 6.30am, as part of an effort to balance the views of residents with the needs of pedestrians. But he said the council was happy to modify the hours of operation based on requests and demand. Noise pollution: Residents complained the sounds made by pedestrian crossing signals were too loud . 'Whenever we receive a request we'll do a review. In February we received a request for extended hours at about four or five CBD intersections and as a result those intersections are now operating 24-hours a day,' Mr Schrinner told the ABC. Asked why the council shouldn't have signals running around the clock, Mr Schrinner said: 'It comes down to balancing the demands of use of those intersections with the concerns of residents as well.' 'Where there's a need for it, where there's facilities operating late into the night, absolutely you can see the rationale for it,' he said. Compromise: The deputy mayor of Brisbane, Australia's largest council, said 'four or five' CBD intersections now boast 24-hour audible signals .
Disability Discrimination Commissioner, says he was under 'curfew' in Brisbane with audible intersections between 9.30pm and 6.30am to said signals generally were switched off in the signals were too loud . 'Whenever we receive a