Top of a Belisha Beacon

A Belisha Beacon is a flashing orange globe atop a tall black and white pole. They appear on either side of the road at zebra crossings in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in the former British crown colony of Singapore. Some belisha beacons still exist in Hong Kong. They are named after Leslie Hore-Belisha (1895-1957), the Minister of Transport who introduced them in 1934. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1155x1750, 494 KB) Other versions Originally from en. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1155x1750, 494 KB) Other versions Originally from en. ... A zebra crossing in Sydney, Australia A zebra crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing used in the UK, Australia, USA and Europe, and increasingly around the world. ... A United Kingdom overseas territory (formerly known as a dependent territory or earlier as a crown colony) is a territory that is under the sovereignty and formal control of the United Kingdom but is not part of the United Kingdom proper (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). ... Isaac Leslie Hore-Belisha, 1st Baron Hore-Belisha (September 7, 1893 - February 16, 1957) was a British Member of Parliament and Cabinet minister who is remembered for his innovations in road transport and for being an alleged victim of anti-semitism. ... The government role of Minister for Transport is common to several countries: The British Secretary of State for Transport The Canadian Minister of Transport The Irish Minister for Transport This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Their function is to provide additional visibility to zebra crossings for motorists, primarily at night. The light is normally powered by a simple bulb on a flashing circuit that runs until burnt out and requiring replacement. The flash commonly lasts one second in both on and off states, some crossings are set so that each beacon flashes alternately to the other side, however they often fall in and out of sync over time.

In New Zealand, the standard for pedestrian crossings, as specified in the Traffic Regulations, requires such a device (or an orange non-illuminated equivalent) atop the black and white pole at each side of the crossing. A pedestrian crossing or crosswalk is a designated point on a road at which some means are employed to assist pedestrians wishing to cross. ...

Brisbane, Queensland Australia briefly had a small number of true Belisha Beacon marked crossings in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but the majority of Australian crossings are Zebra Crossings marked by large yellow circular signs bearing a walking legs symbol. This article is about the Australian city. ... A zebra crossing in Sydney, Australia A zebra crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing used in the UK, Australia, USA and Europe, and increasingly around the world. ...

In Australia, recent years have seen a proliferation of various kinds of beacons and bollards illuminated, reflective or otherwise designed for high visibility at pedestrian crossings, to which the name Belisha or "Bellisher" is occasionally erroneously applied. These high visibility crossing markers are often placed on Refuge Islands in the middle of the road, in addition to, or instead of at the roadside. Many of these new crossings are signposted that pedestrians must give way to traffic. A bollard blocking a path at Princeton University. ... A refuge island, also known as a pedestrian refuge or pedestrian island, is a small section of pavement or sidewalk, completely surrounded by asphalt or other road materials, where pedestrians can stop before finishing crossing a road. ...

In recent years the number of Zebra Crossings, and therefore Belisha Beacons, has fallen in the northern counties of England, being replaced by "puffin" crossings, with pedestrian controlled traffic signals; a waiting pedestrian can stop all vehicular traffic by pressing a button, and waiting for the pedestrian signal of a red and green man to change green. The green man can be accompanied by a green bicycle to indicate that the crossing is designated dual-use for pedestrians and velocipedestrians.

In the Republic of Ireland, Belisha Beacons are now usually accompanied by much higher visibility dual flashing amber traffic lights on either side. Some zebra crossings only have these, rather than actual Belisha Beacons.