{"id":5302,"date":"2014-05-20T20:16:44","date_gmt":"2014-05-20T19:16:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ablogfrommydog.com\/contents1a\/?p=5302"},"modified":"2014-05-20T20:16:44","modified_gmt":"2014-05-20T19:16:44","slug":"cumbrian-crossing-goes-high-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ablogfrommydog.com\/contents1a\/2014\/05\/cumbrian-crossing-goes-high-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"Cumbrian crossing goes high tech"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Cumbrian zebra crossing has had a high tech upgrade with the installation of new low energy beacons.<\/p>\n

\"Zebrite<\/a>
Zebrite Beacons installed in Carlisle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Whilst out for my walk earlier today I spotted that workmen had installed some new Zebrite LED lights<\/a> to a popular zebra crossing in Carlisle. \u00a0This is possibly\u00a0the first upgrade of it’s kind in the City.<\/p>\n

Positioned on a very busy junction in the Caldewgate area of the city, the crossing is frequently used by factory workers going to and from the nearby McVities biscuit factory.<\/p>\n

\"Zebrite<\/a>
Zebrite Beacons installed in Carlisle City centre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over the years I have used this Zebra crossing many times and I have to say I am really glad\u00a0that it has had some work done to make it more visible to motorists exiting the roundabout.<\/p>\n

Ultra visible LED’s<\/h4>\n

Fixed on top of the familiar black and white post is the new LED lamp fitting which, according to the manufacturer, \u00a0automatically adjusts to local light levels.<\/p>\n

The orange flashing halo\u00a0of light appears to be much brighter than the old flashing orange globe.<\/p>\n

This helps to draw attention to the crossing and appears to cut through the general road clutter.<\/p>\n

One instant observation with this installation is when viewed from the side or slightly off axis\u00a0the Belisha beacon appears\u00a0dark in daylight.<\/p>\n

This phenomenon is most noticeable when exiting the Caldewgate roundabout and heading towards Newtown Road. \u00a0 Non familiar\u00a0road users travelling towards the hospital may still accidentally fail to observe the crossing if concentrating on the junction and other road users.<\/p>\n

Only time will tell if this new installation will help preserve one of the last zebra crossings in the City.<\/p>\n

Do you know anything about the history of the crossing or of any others in the area? \u00a0Let me know via the comments area below.<\/p>\n

The Belisha Beacon<\/h2>\n

According to Wikipedia the\u00a0amber-coloured globe lamp atop a tall black and white pole \u00a0was named after a former Minister of Transport in Britain\u00a0called\u00a0Leslie Hore-Belisha.<\/p>\n

The first Belisha Beacon was erected in Wigan on the corner of Mesnes Street, and became operational on 4 July 1935. \u00a0The road crossings were enhanced with the addition of broad white markings across the road surface in\u00a0October 1951.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because they now had a set of black and white stripes on the road to match the ones on the Belisha Beacon poles, they were renamed Zebra Crossings<\/strong>. This\u00a0started a long tradition of naming new crossings after animals. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hore-Belisha rewrote the Highway Code and was responsible for the introduction of two innovations which led to a dramatic drop in road accidents: the driving test and the Belisha beacon, named after him by the public.<\/p>\n

There are currently five types of formal pedestrian crossings used in the United Kingdom, these being Zebra, Pelican, Puffin, Toucan and Pegasus crossings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Toucan has shares it’s name with a type of road crossing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Pelican<\/strong> :\u00a0the name comes from the first letters of Pedestrian Light Controlled crossings \u2014 but in the UK \u00a0we changed the \u201co\u201d to an \u201ca\u201d to keep animal names. \u00a0These are the ones that have a green or red illuminated figure to signify when and when not to cross. \u00a0They are activated after the pedestrian presses a button to signify their intention to cross.
\n<\/span>At all Pelican crossings (apart from ‘staggered’ crossings) there is a bleeping sound to indicate to the visibility impaired when the steady green man is lit.<\/p>\n

The Puffin<\/strong> :\u00a0Pedestrian User-Friendly Intelligent Crossings. \u00a0 These are currently the crossing of choice in the UK.
\nThese\u00a0crossings differ from Pelican crossings as they do not have a flashing green man\/flashing amber signal.
\nTechnology is also used to identify when the crossing is clear of pedestrians. This allows the traffic to be stopped only as long as is necessary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A\u00a0Toucan<\/strong> crossing is\u00a0designed for both pedestrians and cyclists. These are typically used adjacent to a cycle-path. Mounted cyclists are not allowed to cross the road using Zebra, Pelican or Puffin crossings.<\/span><\/p>\n

In areas where horses are common a\u00a0Pegasus<\/strong> crossing maybe installed. \u00a0These\u00a0have a red\/green horse symbol and higher mounted push buttons to allow horse riders to cross.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More information<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pedestrian crossing<\/a> –\u00a0Central Office of Information for Ministry of Transport -Humorous road safety trailer on the correct use of pedestrian crossings<\/span><\/p>\n

British Road Directory<\/a> : \u00a0– Not currently updated<\/p>\n

Until next time<\/p>\n

licks and wags<\/p>\n

Charlie<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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