Not long ago, there was a notice at each end of the zebra
crossing between London Bridge Walk and the station forecourt, improvised on
blackboards, which said “DANGER – CROSSING OUT OF ORDER”. A friend enlightened me as to how a zebra
crossing could be out of order: one of the belisha beacons had been knocked
over by an errant vehicle. Apparently
this means that the crossing is a legal nonentity. Drivers can mow you down on it with at least
some impunity.
Incidentally, did you know that the belisha beacon was named
after the transport minister who introduced it in 1934? His name was Leslie Hore-Belisha. So it could equally have been called the Hore
beacon, but I imagine this was rejected on the grounds of ambiguity.
mmm, beacon. Or bacon, which is almost the same thing.
ReplyDeleteAm I right in thinking that, if a parking meter isn't working, you can park and not put money in? Or is that one of those old-fangled urban myths?
Mmm, that used to be the story, but I don't think I ever put it to the test. I certainly wouldn't do so nowadays.
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