Harsh
20-08-08, 18:52 PM
Beware, elderly people getting crosser: OAPs demand revamp of insulting crossing sign
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1046975/Beware-elderly-people-getting-crosser-OAPs-demand-revamp-insulting-crossing-sign.html
It is one of the most instantly recognisable traffic signs - a hunched couple with a walking stick warning motorists to watch out for elderly pedestrians crossing the road.
But campaigners are calling for it to be scrapped because it is insulting to today's fitter, healthier senior citizens.
They say it should be replaced with either a new image or traffic-calming measures to safeguard elderly lives in a more politically correct way.
'The sign portrays a small proportion of the older generation,' said Help the Aged senior policy officer Lizzy McLennan, 26. '
Very few older people are hunched over, with a walking stick.
'They are assuming everyone who is old looks like that, and they don't.'
Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, said: 'The motivation behind these signs - to make drivers more careful of their speed in areas with residential care homes - is positive.
'However, in practice a reduced speed limit in such areas, as implemented in school districts, would be a more welcome way to achieve this.'
The current sign for 'elderly people crossing' was the winning entry in a children's competition held in 1981.
Barry Earnshaw, chief executive of Age Concern Lincoln, said: 'I am 65, so therefore I am considered an elderly person.
'The sign doesn't represent older people as they are today.
'There should be a generic sign that is representative of all vulnerable pedestrians, regardless of age.
'The objective is to make people slow down - there needn't be separate signs for different types of pedestrians. It is very outdated.'
The Taxpayers' Alliance described the objections as ridiculous and a waste of public money.
Campaign director Mark Wallace said: 'They should pay more attention to the real concerns of older people - rising taxes and soaring household bills.'
Regulations introduced in 2003 did away with the caption 'elderly people' underneath the road sign because it was ageist.
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so let me get this right, a 26 year old is telling us what the elderly want?
where do i start?
its a sign, people react to it,
it says what it needs to so , i know, lets change it!
ok so there are fit and healthy pensioners around...of course there are, but they are not going to have trouble crossing the road are they?
they dont need a sign...the ones who are infirm do (the signs tend to be posted near old peoples homes)
why do we pay these people?
grrrrrr more ranting soon :)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1046975/Beware-elderly-people-getting-crosser-OAPs-demand-revamp-insulting-crossing-sign.html
It is one of the most instantly recognisable traffic signs - a hunched couple with a walking stick warning motorists to watch out for elderly pedestrians crossing the road.
But campaigners are calling for it to be scrapped because it is insulting to today's fitter, healthier senior citizens.
They say it should be replaced with either a new image or traffic-calming measures to safeguard elderly lives in a more politically correct way.
'The sign portrays a small proportion of the older generation,' said Help the Aged senior policy officer Lizzy McLennan, 26. '
Very few older people are hunched over, with a walking stick.
'They are assuming everyone who is old looks like that, and they don't.'
Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, said: 'The motivation behind these signs - to make drivers more careful of their speed in areas with residential care homes - is positive.
'However, in practice a reduced speed limit in such areas, as implemented in school districts, would be a more welcome way to achieve this.'
The current sign for 'elderly people crossing' was the winning entry in a children's competition held in 1981.
Barry Earnshaw, chief executive of Age Concern Lincoln, said: 'I am 65, so therefore I am considered an elderly person.
'The sign doesn't represent older people as they are today.
'There should be a generic sign that is representative of all vulnerable pedestrians, regardless of age.
'The objective is to make people slow down - there needn't be separate signs for different types of pedestrians. It is very outdated.'
The Taxpayers' Alliance described the objections as ridiculous and a waste of public money.
Campaign director Mark Wallace said: 'They should pay more attention to the real concerns of older people - rising taxes and soaring household bills.'
Regulations introduced in 2003 did away with the caption 'elderly people' underneath the road sign because it was ageist.
__________________________________________________ _______________________
so let me get this right, a 26 year old is telling us what the elderly want?
where do i start?
its a sign, people react to it,
it says what it needs to so , i know, lets change it!
ok so there are fit and healthy pensioners around...of course there are, but they are not going to have trouble crossing the road are they?
they dont need a sign...the ones who are infirm do (the signs tend to be posted near old peoples homes)
why do we pay these people?
grrrrrr more ranting soon :)