Belisha beacon

A Belisha beacon (/bəˈlʃə/) is a yellow-coloured globe lamp atop a tall black and white striped pole, marking pedestrian crossings of roads in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and other places that were historically influenced by Britain, such as Hong Kong, Cyprus, Malta, New Zealand and Singapore. The beacons were named after Leslie Hore-Belisha (1893–1957), the Minister of Transport who, in 1934, added beacons to pedestrian crossings, marked by large metal studs in the road surface. These crossings were later painted in black and white stripes, and thus are known as zebra crossings. Legally, pedestrians have priority (over vehicles in the carriageway) on such crossings.