A PENSIONER has said cycle lanes are “a danger to pedestrians” after she tripped over a barrier and broke her elbow.

Pamela Irving, 74, was crossing St John’s Street and heading towards Culver Square in Colchester when she stumbled over the raised cycle barrier which she says has created a “tripping hazard”.

She has now called on Essex County Council, which is responsible for the town’s roads, to make the barriers more visible after her accident.

“On a day visit to the town I tripped over the cycle barrier while crossing the road and fell head-first into the cycle lane,” she said.

“I fell heavily, breaking a bone in my right elbow and possibly my hand because this raised barrier is causing a tripping hazard for people with even minor vision problems.

“While there are gaps in the raised portion of the barrier, both the barrier and the crossing gaps are not sufficiently different from the road itself and they need to be made much more clearly visible.

Read more:

“I myself am not seriously visually impaired, but do wear varifocal glasses and, as well as myself, these barriers must form a significant hazard to others with worse visual or mobility impairment.

“I am relatively fit and active, so don’t see myself as a poor old lady, but there is a danger to pedestrians navigating these lanes while crossing the road.

“I would like to commend the people who came to my assistance that day.

“I was surprised to learn from them that they were all aware of other people falling over these barriers.”

A spokesperson for Essex Highways said it wanted to make sure people with visual impairments feel as safe as possible.

They added: “We are sorry to hear of this resident’s injury and hope she makes a full and speedy recovery.

“The new bolt-down semi-permanent blocks to designate the cycle lane have bright green and white reflective wands with the raised blocks close to those.

“If pedestrians who are wary of the blocks wish to cross the road at points other than the formal pedestrian crossings, then they can cross easily in the spaces approximately equidistant from the two wands.

“These measures were thoroughly road-safety audited before installation."