> I had no idea the British went to such lengths to create bird names > for various traffic control devices.
It's one of a huge pile. We started with the zebra - black and white stripes and Beliesha beacons. Then we created pelican crossings and then all the others. These are where you have a specific pedestrian crossing and if there wasn't such a thing there would be no lights, not when there are pedestrian lights built into normal junction control lights.
There's one almost outside my house. When it's really quiet and you have the windows open you can hear it chirping. -- Online waterways route planner: http://canalplan.org.uk development version: http://canalplan.eu
> > There are other sorts, such as the Puffin Crossing and the Zebra > > Crossing. Zebra and Pelican are the most frequently seen (in the UK), > > though.
> The Highway Code used tp go into great detail on how these difer...
> > > There are other sorts, such as the Puffin Crossing and the Zebra > > > Crossing. Zebra and Pelican are the most frequently seen (in the UK), > > > though.
> > The Highway Code used tp go into great detail on how these difer...
My God! The official description: ---- Pelican crossings. These are signal-controlled crossings operated by pedestrians. Push the control button to activate the traffic signals. --- I'm shocked at the variety.
>> > > There are other sorts, such as the Puffin Crossing and the Zebra >> > > Crossing. Zebra and Pelican are the most frequently seen (in the UK), >> > > though.
>> > The Highway Code used tp go into great detail on how these difer...
>My God! The official description: >---- >Pelican crossings. These are signal-controlled crossings operated by >pedestrians. Push the control button to activate the traffic signals. >--- >I'm shocked at the variety.
You are not alone!
Etymology from the OED
pelican 9. [Punningly after the more formal name PEdestrian LIght CONtrolled (crossing).] More fully pelican crossing. In the U.K.: a pedestrian crossing having traffic lights activated by pedestrians.
puffin [Acronym <the initial letters of Pedestrian User Friendly INtelligent (crossing), with punning allusion to PUFFIN n.1 Compare earlier PELICAN n. 9.]
More fully puffin crossing. A type of pedestrian crossing at which traffic lights are controlled in part by sensors which detect the presence of pedestrians at or on the crossing.
Toucan Crossing n. (also with lower-case initial(s)) [after pelican crossing at PELICAN n. 9; cf. puffin crossing at PUFFIN n.3 4; the suggestion of a punning connection with "two can cross" is prob. a later rationalization] Brit. a pedestrian crossing on which a cyclist may cross without dismounting (when indicated by a ‘green bicycle’ light next to the ‘green man’ light).
> > > > There are other sorts, such as the Puffin Crossing and the Zebra > > > > Crossing. Zebra and Pelican are the most frequently seen (in > > > > the UK), though.
> > > The Highway Code used tp go into great detail on how these > > > difer...
> My God! The official description: > ---- > Pelican crossings. These are signal-controlled crossings operated by > pedestrians. Push the control button to activate the traffic signals. > --- > I'm shocked at the variety.
Well, I'm still not sure I understand the difference between a pelican and a puffin crossing, but now I know what a Toucan Crossing is. Designed so both cyclists and pedestrians can cross at the same time, and presumably named thus as two can play at that game (hangs head in shame).
Roger Burton West <roger+aue200...@nospam.firedrake.org> writes:
> Django Cat wrote:
>>Well, I'm still not sure I understand the difference between a pelican >>and a puffin crossing,
> None as far as the users are concerned. The Puffin (Pedestrian User > Friendly) crossing has sensors to detect the presence of pedestrians on > the crossing, and will delay its return to green-traffic if they are > walking slowly. They are rather more expensive than standard Pelicans, > and are placed mostly where people are expected to be moving slowly > (e.g. outside hospitals).
The thing with the puffins (and toucans that work the same - the one outside my house is a puffin/toucan hybrid) is that they are not really pedestrian friendly at all, as they also have car sensors.
So it's a nasty wet day and you arrive at the crossing. You press the button and it makes you stand in the rain until either you've waited around 40 seconds (yes, I have timed the bugger) or until there is a gap in the traffic big enough for you to cross anyway (bigger, I regularly manage to cross on red).
As far as I can see it's worse than a zebra. You can't assume that the traffic will stop until you see that it is doing so (three times in the last 5 years a vehicle has zoomed straight through. Twice this was white van man on his mobile and t'other was supermum in her Chelsea tractor ditto). You don't have right of way by default. There is no chance at all of the traffic stopping to let you across out of general niceness (which does happen at the few remaining zebras) and when you are crossing in a big gap to avoid getting soaked you are doing so against the lights so in a far worse legal and safety position than crossing a zebra. Oh, and - of course - when I've done that leap of faith the crossing then (often as I enter my front door) holds up the traffic for no purpose at all.
Nick wrote: > Roger Burton West <roger+aue200...@nospam.firedrake.org> writes:
> > Django Cat wrote:
> > > Well, I'm still not sure I understand the difference between a > > > pelican and a puffin crossing,
> > None as far as the users are concerned. The Puffin (Pedestrian User > > Friendly) crossing has sensors to detect the presence of > > pedestrians on the crossing, and will delay its return to > > green-traffic if they are walking slowly. They are rather more > > expensive than standard Pelicans, and are placed mostly where > > people are expected to be moving slowly (e.g. outside hospitals).
> The thing with the puffins (and toucans that work the same - the one > outside my house is a puffin/toucan hybrid)
I was just trying to imagine what the beak would look like on one of those...
"Django Cat" <notar...@address.com> writes: > Nick wrote:
>> The thing with the puffins (and toucans that work the same - the one >> outside my house is a puffin/toucan hybrid)
> I was just trying to imagine what the beak would look like on one of > those...
A wonderful bird is the puffican It's has a beak like the hat of a Mexican It makes you to weep It can't sing, only beep I'm complaining, right now, to the Vatican -- Online waterways route planner: http://canalplan.org.uk development version: http://canalplan.eu
Nick wrote: > The thing with the puffins (and toucans that work the same - the one > outside my house is a puffin/toucan hybrid) is that they are not really > pedestrian friendly at all, as they also have car sensors.
> So it's a nasty wet day and you arrive at the crossing. You press the > button and it makes you stand in the rain until either you've waited > around 40 seconds (yes, I have timed the bugger) or until there is a gap > in the traffic big enough for you to cross anyway (bigger, I regularly > manage to cross on red).
> As far as I can see it's worse than a zebra. You can't assume that the > traffic will stop until you see that it is doing so (three times in the > last 5 years a vehicle has zoomed straight through. Twice this was > white van man on his mobile and t'other was supermum in her Chelsea > tractor ditto). You don't have right of way by default. There is no > chance at all of the traffic stopping to let you across out of general > niceness (which does happen at the few remaining zebras) and when you > are crossing in a big gap to avoid getting soaked you are doing so > against the lights so in a far worse legal and safety position than > crossing a zebra. Oh, and - of course - when I've done that leap of > faith the crossing then (often as I enter my front door) holds up the > traffic for no purpose at all.
> Rant over. For the moment.
All pedestrian crossings are dangerous to pedestrians. They seem to have changed the local laws, which as I recall them, forbade drivers to drive over any kind of crosswalk when a pedestrian was approaching, but the law nevertheless still says that the pedestrian has the right-of-way on a crosswalk (zebra crossing?)(well, not if they run in front of a car that doesn't have time to stop, which seems to me to be a very odd provision). Pedestrians are also supposed to be quite safe stepping into the road if the little man in the light is green. In spite of this, only the most foolhardy pedestrian actually steps onto a crosswalk - with or without traffic lights - if there is a motorized vehicle anywhere within sight. The city tried to get us all to wave our hands to try to convince the oncoming traffic to stop, but most people simply cautiously edge onto the crosswalk, glaring at the driver of the oncoming car and trying to intimidate him/her into stopping, while remaining ready to step back on the sidewalk. The alternative is to jaywalk, which is illegal of course, but often safer. At least, it is in my city. I'd like to thank the anonymous passerby in another city who warned me that their police ticket jaywalkers so I could adjust my street-crossing methods to the local customs before I had a little chat with a local police officer.
>> > > > There are other sorts, such as the Puffin Crossing and the Zebra >> > > > Crossing. Zebra and Pelican are the most frequently seen (in >> > > > the UK), though.
>> > > The Highway Code used tp go into great detail on how these >> > > difer...
>> My God! The official description: >> ---- >> Pelican crossings. These are signal-controlled crossings operated by >> pedestrians. Push the control button to activate the traffic signals. >> --- >> I'm shocked at the variety.
>Well, I'm still not sure I understand the difference between a pelican >and a puffin crossing, but now I know what a Toucan Crossing is. >Designed so both cyclists and pedestrians can cross at the same time, >and presumably named thus as two can play at that game (hangs head in >shame).
>I find it embarrassing that such fanfares should have been sounded for a >blindingly obvious and much overdue development in "crossing >technology".
It'll never fly, Orville...they had one of those in downtown Phoenix a few years ago, and few pedestrians had the nerve to cross diagonally during the appropriate intervals...most either treated it as a regular intersection and crossed one street, then waited for the next cycle to cross the other (leaving the impression that diagonal crossings take twice as long to get across), or stood there waiting for a pack to cross together so they could move with it....r
-- A pessimist sees the glass as half empty. An optometrist asks whether you see the glass more full like this?...or like this?
> >I find it embarrassing that such fanfares should have been sounded for a > >blindingly obvious and much overdue development in "crossing > >technology".
> It'll never fly, Orville...they had one of those in downtown Phoenix a few years > ago, and few pedestrians had the nerve to cross diagonally during the > appropriate intervals...most either treated it as a regular intersection and > crossed one street, then waited for the next cycle to cross the other (leaving > the impression that diagonal crossings take twice as long to get across), or > stood there waiting for a pack to cross together so they could move with it....r
There was one in Pasadena CA when I was there in 1994 and 1995 which seemed to be used in all directions. -- Nick Spalding BrE/IrE
>>I find it embarrassing that such fanfares should have been sounded for a >>blindingly obvious and much overdue development in "crossing >>technology".
>It'll never fly, Orville...they had one of those in downtown Phoenix a few years >ago, and few pedestrians had the nerve to cross diagonally during the >appropriate intervals...most either treated it as a regular intersection and >crossed one street, then waited for the next cycle to cross the other (leaving >the impression that diagonal crossings take twice as long to get across), or >stood there waiting for a pack to cross together so they could move with it....r
I will admit to once having done a diagonal dash at a crossing where all traffic was halted to allow pedestrians to cross in the conventional way.
> >> > > > There are other sorts, such as the Puffin Crossing and the > Zebra >> > > > Crossing. Zebra and Pelican are the most frequently > seen (in >> > > > the UK), though.
> >> > > The Highway Code used tp go into great detail on how these > >> > > difer...
> >> > It still
> does:http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_0 > >> > 70108 >> > >> My God! The official description: > >> ---- > >> Pelican crossings. These are signal-controlled crossings operated > by >> pedestrians. Push the control button to activate the traffic > signals. >> --- > >> I'm shocked at the variety.
> > Well, I'm still not sure I understand the difference between a > > pelican and a puffin crossing, but now I know what a Toucan > > Crossing is. Designed so both cyclists and pedestrians can cross > > at the same time, and presumably named thus as two can play at that > > game (hangs head in shame).
> I find it embarrassing that such fanfares should have been sounded > for a blindingly obvious and much overdue development in "crossing > technology".
>>> I find it embarrassing that such fanfares should have been sounded for a >>> blindingly obvious and much overdue development in "crossing >>> technology". >> It'll never fly, Orville...they had one of those in downtown Phoenix a few years >> ago, and few pedestrians had the nerve to cross diagonally during the >> appropriate intervals...most either treated it as a regular intersection and >> crossed one street, then waited for the next cycle to cross the other (leaving >> the impression that diagonal crossings take twice as long to get across), or >> stood there waiting for a pack to cross together so they could move with it....r
> I will admit to once having done a diagonal dash at a crossing where all > traffic was halted to allow pedestrians to cross in the conventional > way.
Denizens of Edinburgh are bemused by all this - many of the crossroads have four-way stops to allow pedestrians to cross. The locals cross diagonally, and laugh at the tourists who cross two sides of the square.
> >>I find it embarrassing that such fanfares should have been sounded for a > >>blindingly obvious and much overdue development in "crossing > >>technology".
> >It'll never fly, Orville...they had one of those in downtown Phoenix a > >few years ago, and few pedestrians had the nerve to cross diagonally > >during the appropriate intervals...
[snip]
I first saw this as a child visiting nearby San Francisco. We called them "scramble lights" or "scramble signals," when all traffic was stopped and you could cross diagonally. I've come across them in so many cities since, they seem quite routine. Wikipedia says they began in the 1940s.
Peter Duncanson (BrE) wrote: > On Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:51:40 GMT, "Django Cat" <notar...@address.com> > wrote: >> Amid great fanfares, yet another type of crossing was unveiled this >> week: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8337341.stm
> I find it embarrassing that such fanfares should have been sounded for a > blindingly obvious and much overdue development in "crossing > technology".
The article seems to imply that they're a Japanese invention. How do they know that the Japanese didn't copy them from the many other countries where they're used?
Maybe the Japanese innovation was the elaborate road markings. Such crossings in Australia don't have special markings, since the pedestrian lights clearly tell the story. The fact that cars are stopped in both directions is also an obvious hint.
-- Peter Moylan, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. http://www.pmoylan.org For an e-mail address, see my web page.
>>>> I find it embarrassing that such fanfares should have been sounded for a >>>> blindingly obvious and much overdue development in "crossing >>>> technology". >>> It'll never fly, Orville...they had one of those in downtown Phoenix a few years >>> ago, and few pedestrians had the nerve to cross diagonally during the >>> appropriate intervals...most either treated it as a regular intersection and >>> crossed one street, then waited for the next cycle to cross the other (leaving >>> the impression that diagonal crossings take twice as long to get across), or >>> stood there waiting for a pack to cross together so they could move with it....r
>> I will admit to once having done a diagonal dash at a crossing where all >> traffic was halted to allow pedestrians to cross in the conventional >> way.
>Denizens of Edinburgh are bemused by all this - many of the crossroads >have four-way stops to allow pedestrians to cross. The locals cross >diagonally, and laugh at the tourists who cross two sides of the square.
The nearest signal-controlled junction to me has a four-way stop. However, as you might see on this Google Maps satellite view there are railings on the corners to prevent or deter people from taking a diagonal path: http://tinyurl.com/yk7pdoq
The railings are most easily visible on the upper left corner.
IME four-way stops are normal where both-way roads cross (unless there are pedestrian refuges in the middle of the roads).
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