Dazzling lights at new zebra crossing 'putting people at risk'

DAZZLING lights at a zebra crossing will be turned down after pleas from motorists and pedestrians.
The zebra crossing on Harmire Road, in Barnard Castle, was installed last month in a collaboration between Durham County Council and GlaxoSmithKline.
But the brightness of its LED lights has made seeing pedestrians approaching the crossing after sunset difficult for some.
Andrew Nicholson, from Eggleston, passes over the crossing twice a day.
He said: “On a night you’ve got white light from the poles facing you as you approach and they are so bright that you are never going to see pedestrians.
“I just think on a wet night it could be even worse – I am not criticising the crossing because I think it’s a good idea but it’s obstructive and not clear enough.
“Somebody will get knocked over. If someone comes out of work after a hard day they haven’t got a cat in hell’s chance of stopping.”
A frequent user of the crossing, who wished to remain anonymous, said she’d experienced two near misses walking to and from work.
“We saw a couple of cars approaching and we thought they had seen us,” she said.
“Both went past us and one of them was oblivious to us stood there – I honestly think there is more chance of someone getting knocked down now than there was before.
“If anything it should be a pelican crossing.”
Mr Nicholson has raised the problem with the county council and said he’d had a positive chat about getting the lights turned down.
He added: “We have just got to pray nobody gets knocked over until they get rectified.”
John Reed, the county council’s head of technical services, confirmed action was being taken.
“We have consulted the manufacturer and we are looking to reduce the lighting levels accordingly,” he added.
GSK communications manager Paul Stinson revealed staff had also raised concerns with the firm.
“We will continue to work closely with Durham County Council to ensure the crossing is safe for staff and members of the public to cross,” he added. Contractors took seven weeks to complete the crossing, which was installed to give Glaxo staff a safer passage from the firm’s western car park.
Annette Metham, who has lived on Harmire Road since 1988, welcomed the crossing in general but said it had increased traffic on nearby Railway Terrace.