Traffic signs: Children's crossing signs in Great Britain

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Children's Crossing Signs in Great Britain

Nottingham, vii.1998; pict. V. Ancey

Nottingham, vii.1998; pict. V. Ancey

Llanfachreth, vii.1999; pict. K. Vanhercke

Llanilar, vii.1999; pict. K. Vanhercke

The British children's roadsign appears without apparent variation throughout the country. There is some variation though. People with a keen eye will notice the small differences between the first example, Midlands region, and the second found in Wales (one of several):

Signs in Wales come with both Ysgol (Welsh) and School and there seems to be no rule about what comes first. Ysgol may come first, but it may as well be School, both variations are reported.
The girl's head is reminiscent of the shape of a walnut and her neck is more pronounced.
The girl's legs are in a peculiar way narrowed just below the skirt and the feet are more fused together.

Alltogether nothing very exciting for a road sign collector.

Fortunately, there is the Elderly people warning sign. It shows the children fifty years later and who are still feeling the need to cross the street. Notice that the woman now pushes the man on the road instead of pulling him. Or is she actually keeping him away from traffic? That is difficult to determine. In any case, this approach requires less energy than the dragging of their youth. In my opinion, two female persons would be more in accordance with vital statistics

This sign recently has been reported from Belgium (starting in 2024). Spain (DGT press release 10.vi.2025 ) has announced its own version of the Elderly people warning sign with people not burdened by the weight of the years.

Cambridgeshire, 2002; pict. A. Berkeley

New Spanish sign announced in 2025

Our last sample really is Collector's delight. With the old warning triangle fitted ! The detail in the drawing is exceptional : real-world children to the fingernails. It is even better than on the much celebrated Danish children's sign.

There is something peculiar though : The boy is wearing gauntlets. Why not the girl? Isn't she supposed to touch the ball? Did the boy took them away from her? Who shall say?

This road sign forms a group with similarly drawn finds from Mauritius and Trinidad & Tobago. Notice the triangle, the general features and the individual border stones.

This find cries out loud and clear how impoverished modern roadsign design has become. Compare this gem with f.e. Kyrgyzstan, or Ukraine (other things understandably may demand their attention).

Roadsigns are excellent tools to trace relationships (new and old) between countries.

Designs of the first kind and very similar ones (named the UK-group) kan be found in many countries. We have them reported from South-Africa, Namibia, Iceland, Hong Kong, and many more.

A very nice book has been published about the designer of this warning sign, Margaret Calvert:

Adrian Shaughnessy (ed.) — 2025 — Margaret Calvert: Woman at Work. Thames & Hudson Ltd, London. 255pp. ISBN 978-0-500-03044

Signs with a warning triangle can also be found in Zimbabwe, India, and Zanzibar, amongst others.