New safety crossing to help the blind leads straight into glass WINDOW

A bungling council has installed a new ‘safety‘ crossing for blind people on a pavement which leads – straight into a plate glass WINDOW.

The 15m long parallel lines of raised silver bands – called tactile bars – were put near a busy road with the aim of helping blind people find a nearby pedestrian crossing.

But the lines stop at least 5m away from the road and the other end leads straight into the full length window of a furniture shop in Gloucester.

Gloucestershire County Council claims the markings are the ‘most effective’ design.

But they have been branded “totally ridiculous” by partially-sighted people.

Guide dog user and Army veteran Ray Peart, 68, who lost his sight serving in Northern Ireland, said he has had numerous problems crossing the busy road.

He said: “What a waste of money.

“Those lines are supposed to help blind people find a safe crossing but this will be very confusing.

“They will not give any indication where the crossing is.”

The new ‘safety feature’ has been installed as part of a £5.5million project to create a ‘shared space’ linking Gloucester Docks with the city centre.

The design of the area has already been criticised as dangerous for all pedestrians, and recently a ‘courtesy crossing‘ was introduced in a bid to ease the problem.

Gloucestershire County Council area highways manager Jason Humm said the authority had worked alongside disability groups to develop the scheme.

He said: “I would like to thank them for their input in ensuring that the current measures we have put in place were the most effective for people who are visually-impaired.

“We listened to the suggestions and the feedback they have now given us is extremely positive.

“With regards to the design, the tactile bars act as a tool for people who are visually-impaired and the reason they lead directly to a shop is to allow people who have sight problems to use the building outline to help guide their journey across.”