STATE-of-the-art satellite and mobile phone app operated safety barriers aimed at protecting the blind and partially-sighted are being used for the first time in Petersfield.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks contractors will be using the Smart Barriers alongside trenches due to be dug across the town centre as part of a £2m cable upgrade, which started in Penns Road on Monday, April 3.
Those with sight problems can download a free phone app that picks up the position of the barriers via GPS satellite tracking; once located the phone will emit different sounding pings when they approach the barriers, indicating which way they should go.
Chris Slingsby, SSEN’s Head of Customer Operations for the South East Region, said: “We want to ensure the public are safe in areas where we are carrying out essential work. We realise that during work on the roads and pavements in busy town centres it can be particularly challenging for blind and partially-sighted members of the community to go about their day-to-day business, and that is why we are using these Smart Barriers for the very first time.”