Belisha beacon

English

Abbey Road zebra crossing with Belisha beacon on right

Etymology

Named after Leslie Hore-Belisha, the Minister of Transport who introduced them in 1934.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bəˈliːʃə ˈbiːkən/

Noun

Belisha beacon (plural Belisha beacons)

1. (British, Ireland) A tall black and white pole topped by a flashing orange globe, placed on either side of the road at zebra crossings; mostly now replaced by more sophisticated arrangements.
   • 1935 January 10, “Cyclists air their grievances on road safety”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     A police constable concealed in a doorway in City Road, Finsbury, saw a youth of seventeen, who had two others with him, climb a Belisha beacon and break the globe with his fist. It was the hundredth beacon globe to be broken in Finsbury since November.

Translations

pole

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 黃波燈 / 黄波灯 (wong⁴ bo¹ dang¹)

  Mandarin: 黃波燈 / 黄波灯 (huángbōdēng)

• Finnish: suojatiepaalu
• French: balise Belisha f

Further reading

• Belisha beacon on Wikipedia.Wikipedia