General Description

  • Street name signs identify streets, for the benefit of visitors, especially postal workers and the emergency services. They may also indicate the district in which the street lies.
  • A bench is essentially a chair made for more than one person, usually found in the central part of any settlement (such as plazas and parks). They are often provided by the local councils or contributors to serve as a place to rest and admire the view. Armrests in between are sometimes provided to prevent people lying down and/or to prevent people from sitting too close to someone who like to keep some distance.
  • Bollards are posts, short poles, or pillars, with the purpose of preventing the movement of vehicles onto sidewalks or grass etc.
  • Post boxes, also known as mail boxes, are found throughout the world, and have a variety of forms: round pillar style found in Japan and the U.K. (the two feature a difference in that the Japanese version has a round lid while the UK version is flat); rectangular blue boxes in the United States; red and yellow boxes with curved tops in Australia, some on poles. The Canadian version is a red box with a slanted back top.
  • Phone boxes or telephone booths are prominent in most cities around the world, and while ranging drastically in the amount of cover they offer users, e.g. many only cover the phone itself while others are full booths, are instantly recognisable. The widespread use of mobile phones has resulted in a decrease in their numbers.
  • Streetlamps are designed to illuminate the surrounding area at night, serving not only as a deterrent to criminals but more importantly to allow people to see where they’re going. The colours of streetlamps’ bulbs differ, but generally are white or yellow.
  • Traffic lights (or traffic signals) usually include three colours: green to represent “go”, amber to inform drivers that the colour will alternate shortly and red to tell drivers to stop. They are generally mounted on poles or gantries or hang from wires.
  • Traffic signs warn drivers of upcoming road conditions such as a “blind curve”, speed limits, etc. Direction signs tell the reader the way to a location, although the sign’s information can be represented in a variety of ways from that of a diagram to written instructions.
  • Direction signs are usually mounted on poles. Recently, illumination has started to be added in order to aid nighttime users.
  • Public lavatories allow pedestrians the opportunity to use restroom facilities, either for free or for a per-use fee.

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