People are only just realising what 'secret' button at pedestrian crossings means

Despite potentially walking past them several times a day, pedestrians have only just noticed there's a 'secret' button at crossings - and they are potentially life-saving for certain people.

There are several ways to know whether it's safe to cross the road. Some people wait to see the 'green man' appear at pedestrian crossings, while others listen for the 'beep' sound it makes. But for some, they need to rely on feel, rather than sight or hearing.

In a recent TikTok video, Zondo Driving asked its followers: "Who knows what this is for?" and shared a video of a pedestrian crossing. Just under the control box, where you press the button to let the crossing know you want to cross, is a small, black cone, which rotates when the green man lights up to show traffic it's your turn to cross. It points downwards and has tactile ridges around it.

READ MORE: Car expert's £2 hack to remove bird poo without ruining the paintwork

And it's clear many didn't know what the 'secret' button did. "I thought it was to make the lights turn faster," said one social media user. "It’s to make the lights change quicker," another said, wrongly. A third commented: "It's a secret."

So what is it actually for? Some social media users knew the correct answer. One person said: "People who can't see or hear probably. One they won't be able to hear the tone, and two for people who can't see lights changing."

The spinning code is indeed there for people who can't see the lights, such as visually impaired or blind people. They can use the spinning cone to know they have the right of way. This is important because not all crossings make sounds - because if two crossings are near each other it might mislead pedestrians to think it's safe to cross, when it's not.

Not all crossings have cones, as individual councils decide how they are designed, but the Department for Transport encourages their use.

They have been a feature on UK roads since the late 1980s. The idea was put forward by Nottingham University, who thought the rotating cone device could be used so visually impaired and blind people knew when it was safe to cross.