ONE of Inverclyde's busiest roads is now pioneering a new cutting edge pedestrian crossing thanks to the Tele and a campaigning councillor.

Roads bosses have stepped in to activate an award-winning new mobile phone app on the A78 at Inverkip Road allowing people to control the pedestrian crossing from their phones.

The system has been introduced after safety fears were raised about the silent crossing.

The Tele had reported how Councillor Ciano Rebecchi was worried about visually impaired pedestrians who no longer felt able safe because there is no audible signal when the green man flashes.

Councillor Ciano Rebecchi said: "It is good TranServ have stepped in with the app.

"But now we need to try and get information out there for people so that they know about the new technology and changes to crossings.

"There are elderly people out there who still expect the sound of the bleeps to help them cross the road.

"I have explained to around half a dozen people about the way the crossing works - they didn't know about it before."

The A78 Inverkip Road and Cumberland Road junction no longer operates the audible bleeps.

Instead when people press the button there is a tactile or rotating cone system which sits underneath the yellow box and moves when the green man is flashing.

Now engineers have activated a Neatebox app system which uses bluetooth technology to allow pedestrians to push the button remotely from their phones.

A TranServ spokesman said: "There are elderly people out there who may not be aware of the changes so we want to help raise awareness.

"We have also teamed up with Neatebox to offer the app and Inverclyde is one of the first to get use of of it.

"We have been pioneering with technology."

Neatebox, which was invented by entrepreneur Gavin Neate and allows people to download an app and then activate the button from their phone at the pedestrian crossing on the A78.