[Closed] Pelican crossings, who knew? Be honest!

Me. With or without sound (for the deaf and blind )

In Stratford today and I asked one of the kids why there was no beeper thing. They showed be the spinny thing. I was (easily) very impressed!

Yes, got told this on a driving course I did. So if you are approaching a crossing, and the person waiting is holding the bottom of the box, they could well be blind. It's worth picking up on little clues.....

having said that, I had forgotten that until just know!

To be fair it was my daughter who told me a couple of years ago after she was told by a guest speaker when she was in brownies.

So that's what it's for. My Daughter reckons if you spin it, it make the lights change faster!

I didn't believe her...

I didn't know that, thanks very much 🙂

Yes, but then my wife is an OT with a specialisation in vision loss.

Known that since I don’t know when 😊

Every day’s a school day! I had no idea.

I regretfully showed this to my kids many months ago, so now they fight each other to get to the crossing first so they can hold the spinning knob.

Yes, got told this on a driving course I did. So if you are approaching a crossing, and the person waiting is holding the bottom of the box, they could well be blind. It’s worth picking up on little clues…..

I normally find the dog or white stick more of a giveaway 😉 Sorry, couldn't resist!

<span style="font-size: 0.8rem; line-height: 1.3;">In all seriousness though this is one of those cool subtle inventions that work well. One thing I always think is that it is nice and hidden so not likely to get damaged by vandals or just carelessness of people who don't need it and most of whom wouldn't even know it existed. </span>

I saw that on Newsround when it became a thing. So getting on nearly 30 years ago.

had some **** at college actually threaten me because he was convinced it made the lights change faster and though I would land us in the shit if I spun it. Me being me it was going like it was attached to a Dremel.

Yep, but I did used to work for the highways department of a local authority.

Even maor interesting is the special paving stone system laid out next to a crossing.

Raised dimples in Braille gives information about distance of crossing and other things I now forget.

Less interesting fact:

Pelican is PEdestrianLIghtCONtrolled

I didn't;t know that but then I never use them, I just jay walk like everyone else.

Yep, fund it out in college where we had a few blind pupils.

There's one on my cycle commute into work where when I'm stopped you can't see the red and green men but can hear the button buzzing.  When it stops buzzing I know to get ready to go as it's 5 seconds until the light go green, helps me beat the cars off the line and get across the junction safely.

I knew about it but have never checked for it, I don't think its always fitted?

Interesting fact:

Toucan crossing is because 'two can' cross together, two being pedestrians and cyclists.

And a Pegasus crossing is the really rare one for horses.

I didn't know that.

We were waiting at a crossing the other week and the Wife asked how visually impaired people knew when to cross - I'll have to check that out now .

I knew. The beeps don’t sound at night so that people nearby can sleep.

[i]There’s one on my cycle commute into work where when I’m stopped you can’t see the red and green men but can hear the button buzzing.  When it stops buzzing I know to get ready to go as it’s 5 seconds until the light go green, helps me beat the cars off the line and get across the junction safely.[/i]

They are meant to be designed so that drivers can see the red button has been pushed and can therefore prepare for a red light.  Normally you need to look at the one on the opposite carriageway.

Even maor interesting is the special paving stone system laid out next to a crossing.

Raised dimples in Braille gives information about distance of crossing and other things I now forget.

Also extremely effective at tripping up people with poor eye sight. Glasgow - in some areas - has classy versions were instead of using the paving stones (which are usually in a contrasting colour) the Braille is done as shiny metal studs drilled into the existing paving. Faboulously slippery when wet.

What Vibrating Pillows for the Hard of hearing.

I knew that, however I've taught mobility to visually impaired people for 15 years so I should!

The blister paving at crossings isn't braille, sorry to disappoint you. It's a tactile warning there's a dropped kerb, with the other part of the "L" shape leading you to the control box from the back of the pavement (if it's been done properly)

Edit - vibrating pillows are usually a disk which vibrates when smoke alarms go off to wake them. These are for people with hearing loss 😊

Spinning thing?  News to me...

The dimples or lines mark a crossing, more likely to be detected with a cane rather than your feet.  You read braille with your fingers so there is no other information there.    It would be unreliable anyway as they are often only partly reinstated or left as lethal moving hazards after utilities works.

What if there are several blind people wanting to cross - only one gets to know when it is safe to cross the road, and it could end up with them all barging each other out of the way to get to the crossing indicator?

Also, red tactile paving at controlled crossings, buff tactiles at uncontrolled crossings to aid the partially sighted.

spooky - they all face away from the cars so you can't see them, is the same round most of the local crossings now.  Don't know why as I thought he same as you!

Yeah i knew that.