Beacon

Dublin must have the highest concentration of traffic lights in the entire universe. I'd swear that the things breed during the hours of darkness and dump their offspring indiscriminately onto our unsuspecting streets. Surely it can't be the case that elected public representatives in Dublin City Council actually make conscious decisions to install set after set at every available junction, not to mention sprinkling extra sets in between the junctions for pedestrians whose instinctive road crossings regularly become officially recognised and marked by yet more lights.

So it came as quite a surprise when I noticed that a modern take on the old-fashioned belisha beacon have been installed in a few spots in the ground of Beaumont Hospital. If I had my way I'd do away with the button controlled pedestrian lights and replace them all with this jobby: much neater, less intrusive in terms of traffic interruption, and looks good against a bright blue sky.