High tech road crossings help older adults

After research revealed that one of the reasons older adults are put off going into town centres is because of crossing busy roads, a new high tech road crossing has now been trialled in London.

Older adults with mobility problems who need new straight stairlifts and other mobility aids to get around their home will be able to cross roads safely with the new crossings.

The crossing includes a red warning light to alert motorists to pedestrians stepping out unexpectedly and it even widens when needed to help people with mobility problems safely cross the road.

The smart crossings feature LED Lights that illuminate based on the movement of road users and it even gives extra warnings to cyclists when pedestrians are hidden by high-sided vehicles.

New crossings to make towns and cities much safer

The new high tech crossing was unveiled near Mitcham in South London and has been developed by a technology firm called Umbrellium.

The new crossings could become a common sight across the UK if their launch becomes a success and makes towns and cities safer for pedestrians to cross the road.

Speaking to Silversurfers, Umbrellium founding partner Usman Haque, says, “The pedestrian crossings that we use every day are about 50 or 60 years old. It was designed for a different idea of a city.

“We’re trying to update it for the 21st century with a crossing that deals with the fact that people are on mobile phones and they might not be looking up, vehicles might be coming more often, there might be pedestrians suddenly coming out at the end of a film needing to cross.”

The crossings have arrows on the ground and will tell motorists, cyclists and pedestrians when it’s their turn to go. The new technology is expected to reduce the number of accidents that occur on road crossings.