LGBT Symbols on Pedestrian Crossings.

[quarella]

http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/sca ... 73b885.png
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/l ... b65863ce8b
During London Pride TfL are replacing the "walk" symbol with diversity images.

Should road safety elements of street furniture be altered beyond legal revisions? In my view, no.
How do you decide who is entitled to alterations? Impossible.
Is it legal? The "The Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions 1997" I would interpret as not but other documents may supersede and over-ride this.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1997 ... art/I/made

[J--M--B]

'You couldn't make it' !

[J--M--B]

Do the signals viewed by pedestrians have to comply with TSGD or is it only those seen by vehicles?

[rhyds]

Personally I think that this kind of sillyness applied to traffic signals is simply insane.

What next? Red/White/Blue traffic lights for the queen's birthday?

[ianwallis]

It's simply an unnecessary change and a waste of public money. The meaning is the same as before and most pedestrians would, I suspect, be unaware of why it had been done.

[J--M--B]

It's simply an unnecessary change and a waste of public money. The meaning is the same as before and most pedestrians would, I suspect, be unaware of why it had been done.

Just needs one pedestrian to have a serious accident at one of the crossings and to blame it on being confused by the silly new signs and there could be a compensation claim.

[quarella]

Do the signals viewed by pedestrians have to comply with TSGD or is it only those seen by vehicles?

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... edules.pdf

The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2015. Page 306. Table 69. Item 12, Sign no 4002.1 Light signals for pedestrians, Sign illustration and permitted symbols.

Just the standard image. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2002/023113fz.gif Add horses and bikes where appropriate.

[Vierwielen]

During the Apartheid era, South Africa had two official languages - English and Afrikaans which had equal standing. When television was first introduced in 1976, there were five hours of transmission a day - 2.5 hours in English and 2.5 hours in Afrikaans. When the State President signed legislation, he signed the English language and the Afrikaans language documents alternately - in the event of a translation dispute, the document bearing the State President's signature was the authoritative document.

Translating this philosophy to traffic lights, do we need a census to identify how many people are straight male, straight female or LGBT and to ensure that traffic lights reflect this ratio fairly? Also, it appears to me that on road signs, children are depicted in pairs, but adults as a single person.

[Northern Lights]

I had to do a double take that it was not 1st April....

I can see the funny/serious side about LGBT issues, but really if total "equal to all" signage is required do as the USA.....WALK.....DON'T WALK

[WHBM]

No it's not April 1st. I encountered these walking across Trafalgar Square in London last weekend.

If TfL could only just engage some professional traffic engineers, who would do less of this silliness and more of the proper job, such as setting the timings on the signals on the now-completed Embankment Super Cycleway. Mis-setting the signals for the remaining traffic lanes continues to lead to gross delays along this road - it took me 20 minutes last week at 2000 to get from Blackfriars Underpass to Tower Hill because the new signals there have given far too little time to through traffic and too much to exiting from Trinity Square, normally just one or two vehicles and then wasted green time.

[Bryn666]

Siemens will install the temporary pedestrian signals free of charge.

Now we can all shut up about 'waste of public money', and 'pandering to THE GAYS', mmmyes?

[crb11]

I had to do a double take that it was not 1st April....

I can see the funny/serious side about LGBT issues, but really if total "equal to all" signage is required do as the USA.....WALK.....DON'T WALK

I'm sure that'll impress disability campaigners...

[Vierwielen]

I had to do a double take that it was not 1st April....

I can see the funny/serious side about LGBT issues, but really if total "equal to all" signage is required do as the USA.....WALK.....DON'T WALK

Even that would not work here - see here ...

[Chris Bertram]

I had to do a double take that it was not 1st April....

I can see the funny/serious side about LGBT issues, but really if total "equal to all" signage is required do as the USA.....WALK.....DON'T WALK

I'm sure that'll impress disability campaigners...

Just as well that the USA now has symbolic signals these days - the orange hand for wait, the white walking figure for cross.

[boing_uk]

As one on "that bus" I think its a bloody stupid gimmick and thats about it. It does nothing to further any particular cause and certainly isnt a promotion of "equality" or anything else fundamentally important.

Certainly, its not something I would be supportive of if it ever came up in my area. Its just stupid and in many respects, counter-productive.

[Conekicker]

Do the signals viewed by pedestrians have to comply with TSGD or is it only those seen by vehicles?

Yes, they MUST comply with TSRGD. Unless these signals have been authorised by DfT, they are unlawful. I very seriously doubt DfT would ever consider authorising such utter nonsense.

[JohnnyMo]

No it's not April 1st. I encountered these walking across Trafalgar Square in London last weekend.

If TfL could only just engage some professional traffic engineers, who would do less of this silliness and more of the proper job, such as setting the timings on the signals on the now-completed Embankment Super Cycleway. Mis-setting the signals for the remaining traffic lanes continues to lead to gross delays along this road - it took me 20 minutes last week at 2000 to get from Blackfriars Underpass to Tower Hill because the new signals there have given far too little time to through traffic and too much to exiting from Trinity Square, normally just one or two vehicles and then wasted green time.

That is assuming TfL want to allow people to drive as quickly as legally and safe to do so. It would not be the first time TfL have been accused of deliberately mis-setting of traffic light to cause congestion.

[AndyB]

Key point: pedestrian signals are advisory. They may be technically illegal, but the lights with a legal meaning are the ones for vehicular traffic, and they are unaffected.

[M4Simon]

Key point: pedestrian signals are advisory. They may be technically illegal, but the lights with a legal meaning are the ones for vehicular traffic, and they are unaffected.

We also have advisory cycle lanes and signage, but they still have to comply with TSRGD.

The only way that they could be used legally on the highway is with DfT authorisation which as others have said is not likely.

Simon

[Chris5156]

Funny this topic has come back. The lights were described as temporary at the time, but when I passed through Trafalgar Square last week I was surprised to see they all seemed to still be there.