A move to improve safety within the City of Hamilton has been given the thumbs-down by the Island’s blind population.New stoplights at pedestrian crossings are lacking an audio component the previous ones had much to the dismay of the Bermuda Society for the Blind.Sherman Thompson raised the issue yesterday at the first City meeting open to residents’ questions.“[The old ones gave] you a position in relation to the light,” said Mr Thompson, the society’s vice president. “We were so progressive in having lights with audio for all those years, and now we are going backwards.”Without the sound, the new lights are more difficult for the visually impaired to find, he said.Mr Thompson said the organisation had sent two letters asking for changes to the lights, but had yet to hear back.Mayor Charles Gosling apologised for the lack of response. He said that City staff would meet with society representatives “sooner rather than later” to discuss the problem.Meanwhile, City officials present agreed it was possible to have audio signals installed.“We certainly wish to listen to any proposal that you or your members may have,” Mr Gosling said. “We certainly want to be working with your organisation on this.”The new pedestrian user-friendly intelligent crossing lights (puffins) lack audible cues. They instead have a spinning button to assist the visually-impaired.The City had announced that 18 to 20 intersections should be switched to the new lights over the next four years.