Friday, August 22, 2008



British road sign insults the elderly?



We read:
"Pensioners' groups called for the road sign depicting old people to be scrapped because it is insulting.

Age Concern and Help the Aged said that the hunched figure with a walking stick, above, should be replaced with a new image. Barry Earnshaw, Age Concern Lincoln chief executive, said: "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."

A Highways Agency spokesman said that new signs would be costly and require a change in the law.

Source

(In Britain, a "pensioner" is someone living on Social Security)

Update:

The following email from a Brit may be of interest:

"Just a small correction. "In Britain, a "pensioner" is someone living on Social Security" is misleading. A pensioner is, broadly speaking, any woman over 60 and any man over 65, because they are entitled to receive the state pension to which they have contributed during their working lives. I am a pensioner and receive this payment, but because I also have an occupational pension and some independent income, I could easily do without it. It is true that some pensioners have no other income, and as the state pension is niggardly theirs is not a lot to be envied. But most are perfectly comfortable financially, and would be rather piqued at the suggestion they were living on social security!

I think pensioners' views on the road signs would be ambivalent. On the one hand many of us are very spritely (I go hill-walking and sailing, am perfectly upright, do not use a stick and am physically strong provided I watch my back a little) and don't look the least bit like the sign. On the other hand, most of us couldn't give a toss, having more important things to think about!"

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Appearently, they would rather have someone run down by a car than have the signs up.

Anonymous said...

They want the sign to reflect valnrable people of any age.... I would have to bet that regardless of how you make the sign somebody is going to bitch about it and take offence

Anonymous said...

And i thought we here in the US were bad! Obviously, the extremely damaging virus known as political correctness is infecting many countries. What i find amazing is that generally speaking, people are so incredibly stupid as not to realize PC is destroying our freedoms.

Anonymous said...

and what exactly do they propose the new sign look like?

If the old person was lively and active, then they obviously wouldn't need a special sign.

So...you're either old and slow or not.

Anonymous said...

"The sign doesn't represent older people as they are today". No it doesn't. If they took the trouble to check their Highway Code, they would see that the sign refers to frail persons (or blind or disabled if shown). No mention of age.

Anonymous said...

Pensioner in Britain means anyone over the age when a state pension is offered. Obviously not all old people have to rely on that.

Anonymous said...

"Hey, no elderly people to watch out for here? No need to slow down, then!"