Traffic lights have been switched off in Bristol city centre as part of a £10,000 trial to see how junctions work without them.

The lights at the bottom of Union Street, Broadmead, were "bagged" at 10am yesterday and signs were put up reading "proceed with care" and "crossing not in use".

Last week, Bristol City Council officers began monitoring the lights where Union Street meets Nelson Street when the lights were still on. CCTV will now monitor driver and pedestrian behaviour for at least a week.

The lights will then be reinstated depending on how successful the trial has been. A report to councillors will follow, comparing safety and traffic flow before, during and after the trial.

The authority agreed to the trials after the Evening Post Put That Light Out campaign last year, which called for a reduction in the number of unnecessary traffic lights in the area.

Transport executive Councillor Jon Rogers has said if trial sites operate without making the roads more dangerous, they could become permanent and may also lead to further trials elsewhere in the city.

The signals at Marsh St/Prince St/Broad Quay junction will be switched off on March 22, having undergone a week of prior monitoring.

Councillor Rogers said: "Firstly, it's important to stress that we've carefully assessed these sites for safety before switch-off.

"The trial is intended to tease out people's reactions so that we can all gain a greater understanding of each other's perspective as road users on wheels or on foot.

"Many motorists do not understand why we need traffic lights at some junctions. Some commentators agree. They think that people in cars can learn to be as good-mannered as they are on foot – letting people cross and pulling out without the need for controls.

"But there are other voices too. Over the next few weeks as we trial this approach, we will hear not only from motorists whose views are already well-documented, but from pedestrians – including disabled people – and in particular those with visual impairment or mobility impairment. If we are looking to reduce signals, we need to carefully consider their perspective."

Mike Holroyd, team manager for Action for Blind People, was in Union Street for the switch-off. When the lights were turned off, he had no way of judging whether it was safe to cross.

He said: "This is a very sad day for Bristol. I am very happy to sit down and have a reasonable discussion with the council about shared space. But putting bags over pedestrian lights is not the way forward."

Keith Firth, from transport consultant Colin Buckanan, said that last week's monitoring study showed that pedestrians often don't obey the crossing lights.

He said: "In the past week we have noticed that pedestrians don't tend to wait for the green man. I have no doubt that at least 50 per cent of people don't tend to wait for the green man."

Mr Rogers told the Evening Post that other traffic flowing measures are in the pipeline. "There are a lot of sites which could potentially benefit from this," he said. "People have mentioned that at night they could be stopped at a red light, when there are no pedestrians, but they have to wait for the light to go green. We are looking at the possibility of part-time lights in some sights."

For more information go to www.thisisbristol.co.uk/putthatlightout