Thursday, August 13, 2009
Famous London Photo Explained
Forty years ago this month, the first non-solid, pedestrian crosswalk appeared in London. As you can see, there are white, unconnected bars for people to cross the street on instead of a solid rectangle as was customary at the time. This was originally proposed by the London City Council as a paint-saving measure, but met tremendous opposition from safety advocates. They argued that pedestrians who stepped off a white bar onto an exposed section of street would then be jaywalking and subject to fine, or else risk being struck by a vehicle as they were no longer "safe."
Calmer minds prevailed and the non-connecting bars were painted on a single road. In swinging 1969 London, they soon became a hit and were copied by street maintenance departments worldwide.
That road is now famous. Can you guess its name?
Correct. White Bar Road.
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2 comments:
Thanks Joe, now we know!
And knowing is half the battle!
You're welcome, Jane.
Glad to explain.
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