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Article: The zebra to lose its stripes; Zebra crossings, introduced in the Fifties, are not doing enough to improve Britain's appalling record on child pedestrian deaths, so they are to be phased out, says Tim Hitchcock.
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- February 8, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: TIM HITCHCOCK
IT looks like the zebra - that is, the zebra crossing - is heading for extinction. Fifty years after the first black-and-white striped crossing opened for use in Slough, the crossings are being replaced on all but the quietest streets.
Where traffic is light and slow, the zebras are still deemed to be safe.
But London has 700 per cent more vehicles on the move than in 1951, and zebra crossings are not doing enough to improve Britain's terrible record on child pedestrian deaths. In the EU, only Ireland has a worse record.
According to Transport for London, between 1994 and 1998 an average of 934 children a year ...