this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2024
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffin_crossing

I thought it would be pretty cool and funny to set this as a power on/off button for a computer but I don't know if normal people are allowed to buy it.

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[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Perhaps have a word with the local Council and see if they have any old ones knocking about. They might pass you on to Highways England depending on who's remit this falls under.

It might also be worth contacting a few salvage yards - this one has a lot of street furniture and that includes pedestrian wait push buttons for £35, part of their pedestrian crossing parts section. Although as scrap yards list on eBay these days - pedestrian crossing boxes go for about £60 with one or two up for bids at lower prices.

[–] happy_saw@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Thanks, I trying searching for it but could not find anything under the name puffin.

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 4 points 2 months ago

Yeah,took me a couple of goes to get the wording right to winkle the results out. Apparently, the scrapies aren't overly concerned about exact naming, which does make searching trickier.

[–] GreyShuck@feddit.uk 5 points 2 months ago
[–] blackn1ght@feddit.uk 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] happy_saw@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Is it because you instinctively look to the other side of the road to see if it's time to go? That drives me nuts sometimes.

[–] blackn1ght@feddit.uk 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yep! That's my direction of travel so that's where I want to be looking. I'm still going to look side to side to make sure the traffic has stopped. What ends up happening, especially when it's busy, is that the person who pressed the button stays standing next to it so you can't see when it's clear.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 1 points 2 months ago

I know one which had two panels, one elevated.

[–] Mex@feddit.uk 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] happy_saw@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Cool, I didn't even thing about replacing it with a display.

[–] Mex@feddit.uk 3 points 2 months ago

And I did just buy it off eBay

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

That abbreviation was clearly cherrypicked because people wanted justification to name it after a bird. lol.

Anyway, my best guess is to find a mate in the council ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[–] BilboBargains@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I lived next to the most dangerous puffin crossing in the UK (Whitley, Coventry). This statistic seemed unbelievable at first because the crossing doesn't look dangerous but over the years I came to believe it. I personally witnessed the aftermath of four accidents and was curious about their origin. The way local people used the crossing was to walk up, press the button and walk across, often without looking at the road. There was a time delay of about a minute and as such the crossing was usually empty by the time the light was red and the cars were waiting for nobody.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 2 points 2 months ago

Puffin crossings cancel if the pedestrian walks off. You sure it wasn't a pelican crossing?