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Belisha beacon

A Belisha beacon (/bəˈlʃə/) is an amber-coloured globe lamp atop a tall black and white striped pole, marking pedestrian crossings of roads in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and other countries historically influenced by Britain, such as Hong Kong, Malta, and Singapore. The beacons were named after Leslie Hore-Belisha (1893–1957), the Minister of Transport who, in 1934, added beacons to pedestrian crossings, marked by large metal studs in the road surface. These crossings were later painted in black and white stripes, and thus are known as zebra crossings. Legally, pedestrians have priority (over vehicles in the carriageway) on such crossings.[a]

A Belisha beacon atop its striped pole. This example also features a spot lamp to illuminate the crossing at night.

History edit

The first Belisha beacons were erected in the London authorities areas and, following the Road Traffic Act 1934, were rolled out nationally in 1935.[2] In December 1941, a study was made into the cost effectiveness of melting down the 64,000 Belisha beacon posts to make munitions, a plan which threatened to "deprive the right hon. Member for Devonport (Mr. Hore-Belisha) of his last hope of immortality."[3]

In 1948, the Central Office of Information produced a short film which showed the correct way to use a pedestrian crossing (without the stripes at this time).[4]

Belisha beacon at Kanhangad, in Kerala, India.

Belisha beacons provide additional visibility to zebra crossings for motorists, primarily at night. The UK flash rate is 750 ms on, 750 ms off.[5] Some crossings are set so that each beacon flashes alternately to the other side, but they often fall out of synchronization over time. Beacons with an outer ring of flashing amber LED lights, preferred for their brightness and low electricity consumption, are replacing traditional incandescent bulbs in many areas.

Some of the crossings have plastic poles that are translucent, and lit internally. This is immediately apparent in dull weather and at night. The clearly illuminated white sections announce the presence of the poles carrying the amber beacons, increasing the visibility of the crossings to all road users. These illuminated white sections can, however, obscure the presence of a pedestrian waiting to cross, as a driver cannot see the dark shape behind the brighter light coming from the pole.

To be legally compliant in the UK, every zebra crossing must be equipped with two Belisha beacons. In cases where there is a traffic island or central reservation in the road, the traffic authority can opt whether to place one or more beacons centrally.[6] An exception is crossings over cycle paths, which do not need beacons.[7]

Since the introduction of new regulations in 1997, the number of zebra crossings and Belisha beacons has fallen in the northern counties of England, being replaced by pelican crossings or puffin crossings, with pedestrian-controlled traffic signals; a waiting pedestrian can stop vehicular traffic by pressing a button, and waiting for the pedestrian signal of a red and green man to change to green.[citation needed]

Outside the United Kingdom edit

Australia edit

In Australia, there has been a proliferation of various kinds of beacons and bollards, illuminated, reflective, or otherwise designed for high visibility at pedestrian crossings, to which the name Belisha is occasionally erroneously applied. These high-visibility crossing markers are often placed on refuge islands in the middle of the road, in addition to or instead of at the roadside. Many of these new crossings are signposted that pedestrians must give way to traffic.

Brisbane briefly had a small number of Belisha beacon marked crossings in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but the majority of Australian crossings are zebra crossings marked by large yellow circular signs bearing a walking legs symbol.

Hong Kong edit

In Hong Kong, Belisha beacons are required by the Transport Department of Hong Kong for pedestrian crossings to be considered a "zebra crossing" where pedestrian have priority. The yellow globe on the beacon may be illuminated by a flashing light or by a constant light.

Similar to the United Kingdom, two Belisha beacons are required, each to be put at each end of the zebra crossing. When there is a pedestrian refuge of central reservation, additional Belisha beacons may be added.[8]

Ireland edit

In Ireland, Belisha beacons are usually accompanied by much higher visibility dual flashing amber traffic lights on either side. Some zebra crossings have only these rather than Belisha beacons.

In November 2022, the National Transport Authority began a pilot scheme with Limerick City and County Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to trial the implementation of zebra crossings without Belisha beacons, instead using fixed blue mandatory signs, such as are used in Continental Europe. These crossings will be cheaper and quicker to implement, as they do not require an electrical connection.[9][10]

New Zealand edit

Outside of the UK, Belisha beacons are perhaps most prominent in New Zealand, where they are required at all marked pedestrian crossings. Traffic regulations require a controlling authority to erect on each pole, indicating the presence and position of a pedestrian crossing, either an internally illuminated amber globe not less than 300 mm (12") in diameter, which has a lamp that provides 40 to 60 flashes per minute, or a 400 mm (16") diameter fluorescent orange disk. The pole must be erected within 2 metres (6') of each end of a crossing. The poles must be not less than 75 mm (3") in diameter, and not less than 2 metres (6') in height, and must be clearly painted with alternate parallel bands of black and white, each having a width of approximately 300 mm (12"). Disks are a relatively new addition as a replacement for illuminated globes, having only become prominent since the 1990s.

Poland edit

Belisha beacons were uncommon, but the Highway Code allowed for using them up until the early 1960s.

Netherlands edit

In the Netherlands, Belisha beacons were used from 1957 to 1962 to indicate that pedestrians had the right of way on a particular crossing. In 1962, a law was passed that extended this to all zebra crossings, and the beacons were removed. However, some still exist in Vlaardingen, in addition to the media area in Hilversum.

Singapore edit

In Singapore, all zebra crossings are marked by Belisha beacons.[11]

France and Spain edit

In France and Spain, a small number of pedestrian crossings are illuminated by special lamp posts that have flashing amber lights on their sides that play the same role as Belisha beacons.

Liberia edit

Belisha beacons ranged all over Liberian zebra crossings from 1960 to 2010, and some were still in use from 2010 to 2013.

Card game edit

In the 1930s, there was a popular card game based on road safety that was called Belisha. It featured pictures of road scenes and a few notable places, like Gretna Green and Robin Hood's Well. The gameplay was based on the game Rummy.

Images edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ In Great Britain, Highway Code rule 195 states that "you should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross" and "you MUST give way when a pedestrian has moved onto a crossing". The word "MUST" reflects a legal requirement, the relevant legislation being cited as "ZPPPCRGD reg 25".[1] The other statement is not a legal requirement, but the advice in the Highway Code is admissible as evidence of what constitutes an acceptable standard of driving, for example for the offence of driving without due care and attention.

References edit

  1. ^ "The Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions 1997: Section 25", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1997/2400 (s. 25)
  2. ^ "Zebra crossing near Abbey Road Studios – 1396390". Historic England. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  3. ^ "Munitions Production (Belisha Beacons) – Tuesday 2 December 1941 – Hansard – UK Parliament".
  4. ^ "Public Information Films | 1945 to 1951 | Film index | Pedestrian Crossing". National Archives. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  5. ^ British Standard BS 8442-2015, para 12
  6. ^ "The Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions 1997", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1997/2400, retrieved 13 February 2023
  7. ^ "The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016: Schedule 14", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1998/901 (sch. 14), retrieved 13 February 2023, paragraph 25(3).
  8. ^ "Cap. 374G Road Traffic (Traffic Control) Regulations Schedule 4: Zebra Crossing and Light Signal Crossing". www.elegislation.gov.hk.
  9. ^ "Active Travel Pilot Scheme for New Zebra Crossings". National Transport Authority. 24 October 2022.
  10. ^ "3 locations in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown have been chosen for this pilot". Twitter. 22 November 2022.
  11. ^ "ONE.MOTORING - Pedestrian Crossing Signs Attached to Existing Flashing Beacons". www.onemotoring.com.sg. Retrieved 8 February 2019.

belisha, beacon, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, march, 201. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Belisha beacon news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message A Belisha beacon b e ˈ l iː ʃ e is an amber coloured globe lamp atop a tall black and white striped pole marking pedestrian crossings of roads in the United Kingdom Ireland and other countries historically influenced by Britain such as Hong Kong Malta and Singapore The beacons were named after Leslie Hore Belisha 1893 1957 the Minister of Transport who in 1934 added beacons to pedestrian crossings marked by large metal studs in the road surface These crossings were later painted in black and white stripes and thus are known as zebra crossings Legally pedestrians have priority over vehicles in the carriageway on such crossings a A Belisha beacon atop its striped pole This example also features a spot lamp to illuminate the crossing at night Contents 1 History 2 Outside the United Kingdom 2 1 Australia 2 2 Hong Kong 2 3 Ireland 2 4 New Zealand 2 5 Poland 2 6 Netherlands 2 7 Singapore 2 8 France and Spain 2 9 Liberia 3 Card game 4 Images 5 Notes 6 ReferencesHistory editThe first Belisha beacons were erected in the London authorities areas and following the Road Traffic Act 1934 were rolled out nationally in 1935 2 In December 1941 a study was made into the cost effectiveness of melting down the 64 000 Belisha beacon posts to make munitions a plan which threatened to deprive the right hon Member for Devonport Mr Hore Belisha of his last hope of immortality 3 In 1948 the Central Office of Information produced a short film which showed the correct way to use a pedestrian crossing without the stripes at this time 4 source source source source source source Belisha beacon at Kanhangad in Kerala India Belisha beacons provide additional visibility to zebra crossings for motorists primarily at night The UK flash rate is 750 ms on 750 ms off 5 Some crossings are set so that each beacon flashes alternately to the other side but they often fall out of synchronization over time Beacons with an outer ring of flashing amber LED lights preferred for their brightness and low electricity consumption are replacing traditional incandescent bulbs in many areas Some of the crossings have plastic poles that are translucent and lit internally This is immediately apparent in dull weather and at night The clearly illuminated white sections announce the presence of the poles carrying the amber beacons increasing the visibility of the crossings to all road users These illuminated white sections can however obscure the presence of a pedestrian waiting to cross as a driver cannot see the dark shape behind the brighter light coming from the pole To be legally compliant in the UK every zebra crossing must be equipped with two Belisha beacons In cases where there is a traffic island or central reservation in the road the traffic authority can opt whether to place one or more beacons centrally 6 An exception is crossings over cycle paths which do not need beacons 7 Since the introduction of new regulations in 1997 the number of zebra crossings and Belisha beacons has fallen in the northern counties of England being replaced by pelican crossings or puffin crossings with pedestrian controlled traffic signals a waiting pedestrian can stop vehicular traffic by pressing a button and waiting for the pedestrian signal of a red and green man to change to green citation needed Outside the United Kingdom editAustralia edit In Australia there has been a proliferation of various kinds of beacons and bollards illuminated reflective or otherwise designed for high visibility at pedestrian crossings to which the name Belisha is occasionally erroneously applied These high visibility crossing markers are often placed on refuge islands in the middle of the road in addition to or instead of at the roadside Many of these new crossings are signposted that pedestrians must give way to traffic Brisbane briefly had a small number of Belisha beacon marked crossings in the late 1960s and early 1970s but the majority of Australian crossings are zebra crossings marked by large yellow circular signs bearing a walking legs symbol Hong Kong edit In Hong Kong Belisha beacons are required by the Transport Department of Hong Kong for pedestrian crossings to be considered a zebra crossing where pedestrian have priority The yellow globe on the beacon may be illuminated by a flashing light or by a constant light Similar to the United Kingdom two Belisha beacons are required each to be put at each end of the zebra crossing When there is a pedestrian refuge of central reservation additional Belisha beacons may be added 8 Ireland edit In Ireland Belisha beacons are usually accompanied by much higher visibility dual flashing amber traffic lights on either side Some zebra crossings have only these rather than Belisha beacons In November 2022 the National Transport Authority began a pilot scheme with Limerick City and County Council and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to trial the implementation of zebra crossings without Belisha beacons instead using fixed blue mandatory signs such as are used in Continental Europe These crossings will be cheaper and quicker to implement as they do not require an electrical connection 9 10 New Zealand edit Outside of the UK Belisha beacons are perhaps most prominent in New Zealand where they are required at all marked pedestrian crossings Traffic regulations require a controlling authority to erect on each pole indicating the presence and position of a pedestrian crossing either an internally illuminated amber globe not less than 300 mm 12 in diameter which has a lamp that provides 40 to 60 flashes per minute or a 400 mm 16 diameter fluorescent orange disk The pole must be erected within 2 metres 6 of each end of a crossing The poles must be not less than 75 mm 3 in diameter and not less than 2 metres 6 in height and must be clearly painted with alternate parallel bands of black and white each having a width of approximately 300 mm 12 Disks are a relatively new addition as a replacement for illuminated globes having only become prominent since the 1990s Poland edit Belisha beacons were uncommon but the Highway Code allowed for using them up until the early 1960s Netherlands edit In the Netherlands Belisha beacons were used from 1957 to 1962 to indicate that pedestrians had the right of way on a particular crossing In 1962 a law was passed that extended this to all zebra crossings and the beacons were removed However some still exist in Vlaardingen in addition to the media area in Hilversum Singapore edit In Singapore all zebra crossings are marked by Belisha beacons 11 France and Spain edit In France and Spain a small number of pedestrian crossings are illuminated by special lamp posts that have flashing amber lights on their sides that play the same role as Belisha beacons Liberia edit Belisha beacons ranged all over Liberian zebra crossings from 1960 to 2010 and some were still in use from 2010 to 2013 Card game editIn the 1930s there was a popular card game based on road safety that was called Belisha It featured pictures of road scenes and a few notable places like Gretna Green and Robin Hood s Well The gameplay was based on the game Rummy Images edit nbsp High Visibility Belisha Beacon nbsp LED halo zebra crossing beacon nbsp LED Belisha beacon and illuminated post nbsp A zebra crossing outfitted with Belisha beacons in Hong Kong nbsp Example of Belisha beacons at a zebra crossing in Singapore nbsp NZ Transport Agency diagram for a Belisha beacon device in New Zealand nbsp French street light with two amber flashing lights on its sidesNotes edit In Great Britain Highway Code rule 195 states that you should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross and you MUST give way when a pedestrian has moved onto a crossing The word MUST reflects a legal requirement the relevant legislation being cited as ZPPPCRGD reg 25 1 The other statement is not a legal requirement but the advice in the Highway Code is admissible as evidence of what constitutes an acceptable standard of driving for example for the offence of driving without due care and attention References edit The Zebra Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions 1997 Section 25 legislation gov uk The National Archives SI 1997 2400 s 25 Zebra crossing near Abbey Road Studios 1396390 Historic England Retrieved 5 March 2017 Munitions Production Belisha Beacons Tuesday 2 December 1941 Hansard UK Parliament Public Information Films 1945 to 1951 Film index Pedestrian Crossing National Archives Retrieved 5 March 2017 British Standard BS 8442 2015 para 12 The Zebra Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions 1997 legislation gov uk The National Archives SI 1997 2400 retrieved 13 February 2023 The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 Schedule 14 legislation gov uk The National Archives SI 1998 901 sch 14 retrieved 13 February 2023 paragraph 25 3 Cap 374G Road Traffic Traffic Control Regulations Schedule 4 Zebra Crossing and Light Signal Crossing www elegislation gov hk Active Travel Pilot Scheme for New Zebra Crossings National Transport Authority 24 October 2022 3 locations in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown have been chosen for this pilot Twitter 22 November 2022 ONE MOTORING Pedestrian Crossing Signs Attached to Existing Flashing Beacons www onemotoring com sg Retrieved 8 February 2019 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Belisha beacon amp oldid 1170665188, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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