UK: Must not portray elderly people as infirm
Even though the signs are placed where the infirm elderly are likely to be
Since it was introduced in 1981, the ‘Elderly People’ road sign has got on people’s nerves. The winner of a children’s competition, it shows an aged couple hobbling across the road.
Last year, the Government’s tsar for the elderly, Dr Ros Altmann, said the sign should be banned altogether because it puts off employers from hiring people over 50.
Now a series of designers has been commissioned to produce a cheerier series of options.
Margaret Calvert, responsible for many of our road signs — including ‘Men at Work’ and ‘Children Crossing’ but not the elderly people — has come up with a sprightlier couple, jauntily crossing the road, hand in hand.
Calvert, born in 1936, says the ‘Children Crossing’ sign was inspired by herself as a girl. Her new elderly people sign is based on her as a pensioner.
Another offering, based on Morecambe and Wise, comes from creative consultant David Worthington, while graphic designer Jason Godfrey suggested a sign based on pills and tablets.
‘The old road sign shows a silhouette of two extremely decrepit old people crossing a road. But older people aren’t like that any more.
'Mick Jagger is 71, Billy Connolly’s 72, Judi Dench is 80 and Dame Helen Mirren is the face of L’Oréal at 69. People are living longer and older age needs rebranding, ideally using wit and humour.’
SOURCE
13 comments:
Dr. Altmann is an idiot. The term elderly is a relative term. Putting 2 and 2 together and arriving at the magical age of 50 while citing some extremenly active folks that act "50" affirms that. All of us, since the alternative is worse, want to become elderly. I WANT a sign warning that I'm around looking for some young and stupid whipper-snapper to use my cane upon.
What's the point of a sign to point out the presence of sprightly people who would get out of the way of cars as well or as badly as any younger age group!
Dr Altman needs his head mirror popped in his face What a sniveling little whimpotard
The only reason to warn the traffic of the presence of elders is if they ARE infirm otherwise there is no point in the signs. Why don't they then make signs warning of businessmen and blue collar workers?
Having different signs for different pedestrians is counterproductive. It just causes confusion. There should be one universal sign to warn motorists that this is a higher pedestrian traffic area and to watch for them.
MDH
P.C. nonsense they elderly folks did'nt have to put up with this PC poppycock when they were youths
Having commented as 2:06, I also agree with MDH that there should be a single and simple sign to warn motorists about possible pedestrian hazards.
Reminds me of the signs in my buddies neighborhood when we were kids.. They said "CAUTION SLOW Children Ahead". But there was no punctuation and the way it was written made you read it like, "Caution Slow Children Ahead".
Our local school used to have this sign DEAR CROSSING
A school that can't spell!
Another road sign is "Plant Crossing"
"they elderly folks did'nt have to put up with this PC poppycock when they were youths"
LOL!
Condor; was that a feeble joke by the school, playing on the spelling of 'deer' (the animal) and 'dear' alluding to the dear children crossing the road? Or did the sign-maker not know how to spell or the school to care?
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