Belisha Beacon
a flashing light at a road crossing
TRANSLATION
Belisha Beacon = schwarz-weiß gestreifte Säulen mit einer gelb-orange blinkende Kugel darauf, die in Großbritannien am Zebrastreifen stehen beacon = das Blinklicht; der Leitstrahlsender; der Leuchtturm; das Signalfeuer --- GOOGLE INDEX Belisha Beacon: approximately 29,500 hits beacon = 32,900,000
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
In a pocket guide entitled "Attention, Car Drivers", there are helpful illustrations with easy-to-follow captions such as "this is a bus" and "this is a ticket". And to assist the confused motorist even further, there is a highly useful section on distinguishing between a bus stop and a BELISHA BEACON.
(The Evening Standard)
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The first pedestrian crossings in Britain were implemented in London in the late-Twenties. Consisting of little more than a series of red, yellow or white diagonal strips, they were not considered a success. The real breakthrough came with the now familiar BELISHA BEACON.
(The Independent)
(The Evening Standard)
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The first pedestrian crossings in Britain were implemented in London in the late-Twenties. Consisting of little more than a series of red, yellow or white diagonal strips, they were not considered a success. The real breakthrough came with the now familiar BELISHA BEACON.
(The Independent)
Did you
know?
Belisha Beacon
noun
- in Britain, a post with a flashing orange light on top which shows someone where they can walk across a road
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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WORD ORIGIN
The Belisha Beacon is named after Leslie Hore-Belisha (1895-1957), a British liberal member of parliament and cabinet minister who served from the 1930s to the 1950s. As Minister of Transport, he implemented several innovations including the driving test and the Belisha Beacon, an unofficial name that the public adopted. The Belisha Beacon led to a dramatic decrease in road accidents.
In recent years the number of zebra crossings, and therefore Belisha Beacons, has fallen in the northern counties of England, being replaced by "puffin" crossings, with pedestrian controlled traffic signals. Puffin is an acronym of sort that stands for Pedestrian User Friendly Intelligent.
In addition to zebra crossings, the UK has other crossings with creative names:
- Pelican (pedestrian light controlled) crossings = these crossings have lights controlled by pedestrians
- Toucan (two can cross) crossings = these are designed for both pedestrians and cyclists
- Pegasus crossings = the Pegasus crossing is usually used outside racecourses or areas where horses are trained
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IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS TODAY
say something like:
“Our last fancy-dress party theme was "road traffic," our receptionist came dressed up as a Belisha Beacon"
noun
- in Britain, a post with a flashing orange light on top which shows someone where they can walk across a road
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
WORD ORIGIN
The Belisha Beacon is named after Leslie Hore-Belisha (1895-1957), a British liberal member of parliament and cabinet minister who served from the 1930s to the 1950s. As Minister of Transport, he implemented several innovations including the driving test and the Belisha Beacon, an unofficial name that the public adopted. The Belisha Beacon led to a dramatic decrease in road accidents.
In recent years the number of zebra crossings, and therefore Belisha Beacons, has fallen in the northern counties of England, being replaced by "puffin" crossings, with pedestrian controlled traffic signals. Puffin is an acronym of sort that stands for Pedestrian User Friendly Intelligent.
In addition to zebra crossings, the UK has other crossings with creative names:
- Pelican (pedestrian light controlled) crossings = these crossings have lights controlled by pedestrians
- Toucan (two can cross) crossings = these are designed for both pedestrians and cyclists
- Pegasus crossings = the Pegasus crossing is usually used outside racecourses or areas where horses are trained
---
IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS TODAY
say something like:
“Our last fancy-dress party theme was "road traffic," our receptionist came dressed up as a Belisha Beacon"
