A YATE pensioner has raised concerns over the safety of a pedestrian crossing in Yate.

Robin Crick got in touch with the Gazette after witnessing a near accident at the crossing on Link Road, between the car park and the shopping centre.

“These two areas are linked not by a tunnel, as was formerly the case, but by a pelican crossing, and one of the indications that pedestrians are safe to cross is a beeper.

“This can be very dangerous because barely six feet away is the bus station and when a bus is reversing off of its stop the indication is also a beeper.

“As I was waiting to cross recently, a partially sighted woman stepped onto the crossing as soon as she heard a beeper, only to be pulled back out of the path of a lorry by her quick thinking son.

“She had mistaken the reverse beeper for the crossing’s beeper.

“It is the sort of situation where someone would have to be killed or injured before the agencies concerned put their sensible heads on and did something about it,” he said.

A spokesman for South Gloucestershire Council said that since the bus station came in to operation in 2011, they have not had any complaints from users with accessibility issues relating to the crossing.

He added: “The pedestrian crossing on Link Road in Yate features a beeping audio signal to aid people who are visually impaired or blind in crossing the road. This is a standard audio alert which is used nationwide.

“This crossing has additionally been fitted with ‘tactile cones’, which rotate as a physical indication that the green man is illuminated.

"All ‘mid-block’ signal controlled pedestrian crossings that have been installed in South Gloucestershire over the past ten years feature this technology.”

Tactile cones are a special feature fitted to the yellow box at pedestrian crossings to give pedestrians, particularly blind and partially sighted people, extra help to cross safely.

Located on the bottom of the yellow control box, it features a special cog which spins rapidly when the green man is showing, allowing people to feel when they have right of way.

SGC’s spokesman said: “Anyone with accessibility needs who is experiencing difficulties using any pedestrian crossing in South Gloucestershire can contact us on 0800 854229.”