ELDERLY people are being left isolated and afraid to go into town centres because they are scared to cross the road at green man crossings.
Pensioners say that the lights change too fast for them to get across the road safely, leading many to shun areas with busy roads and intersections.
The surprise finding were made by researchers making preparations for a long-term-study into arthritis, and came up during talks with focus groups.
The data will now be presented to Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Chronic Pain along with a call for legislation to extend the time pedestrians can use light-controlled crossings all over Scotland.
Lead researcher Professor Martijn Steultjens of Glasgow Caledonian University, said that patients and older people are being left isolated and embarrassed as they can’t cross the street in time.
He said: “This was an unexpected find. We picked it up from preparatory work we were doing for the large study into arthritis.
“What we got from a number of patients and a number of elderly people was that one of the problems they have with their walking is that they cannot get a cross the road in time before the lights turn to red.
“It makes them feel embarrassed and unsafe and is leading to social isolation for many. People just don’t want to go into town anymore and this is one of the main reasons given.”
Professor Steultjens researches the bio-mechanics of arthritis as Glasgow Caledonian University’s School of Health and Life Sciences.
He will warn MSPs about the findings during a presentation at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.
The problem has been identified as part of preparations for a large-scale £1.8m study to help improve posture, balance and stability for people with rheumatoid arthritis, titled the Gait Rehabilitation in Early Arthritis Study (GREAT).
The study which will take place over the next five years, and is funding by the the National Institute for Health Research.
Researchers are investigating a new treatment for walking problems in arthritis, known as Gait rehabilitation, which has been proven to help patients with mobility issues resulting from neurological conditions.
Professor Steultjens said: “Specifically on the Green Man, crossing times at pedestrian lights are currently set in the expectation that a person is able to walk at a speed of 1.2m per second, roughly 2.7mph. Research by others has already shown that 85 per cent of older women aged over 65 cannot walk at this speed.
“A small change to the timing on the Green Man light could have a massive impact to the lives of many and social participation.
“I do not feel this story about the many people suffering because of the Green Man is well enough known, and I think it is time that city centres consider whether they are catering for an ageing population and people who experience difficulties in walking.”
The GREAT study in musculoskeletal health is led by Professor Steultjens and Dr Gordon Hendry and will work with Keele University, King’s College London, Salford University and the University of Glasgow. The study will publish its overall findings in 2022.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel