I invented the OAP street sign
It was my lifelong love of cartoons that first drew me to The Oldie.
Imagine my delight in finding one of my drawings in the March issue. I refer to the sign picturing the grumpy old pair crossing the road with the story of a suggested replacement sign picturing a jolly old pair dancing across the road.
This is not the first time the design has come in for criticism. When it first appeared in 1981 – and sporadically since – there have been letters in the press from irate old people.
Of course not all old people are slow, bent and frail, but some of them are not optimally fleet of foot or keen of sight and sound.
The sign must alert drivers amongst traffic and other distractions and it must be immediately understood. The reality is that you have 30 seconds to decide what it means. There is no room for subtlety. I reckon by the time you ‘get’ the dancing couple, you could have flattened them.
How did I come to design the sign? At the time I was Research Assistant with Dr Bernard Isaacs (later Professor of Geriatric Medicine, Birmingham University). When I used my cartoons to illustrate some of our work he quickly saw benefits. He always believed the points he was making were better remembered by his students when visual humour was involved.
When the Scottish Office asked him for advice on useful signs, he had me submit drawings for no smoking, nil by mouth, wheelchair access and the road crossing (the only one accepted).
I was delighted when it was adopted throughout Britain and parts of Europe. At no time did I receive any payment, but I suppose my reward is that I might just have saved a life here or there.
When Dr Isaacs collaborated with our Chief Nursing Officer to write a book on geriatric-nursing practice, they asked me to illustrate it in my usual way. He called me to his office one day to give me the good news that the publishers had accepted my drawings.
The bad news was that they had rejected the text! That was somewhat embarrassing for me – but they took it in good part, and once the text had been rewritten, the book was published.
I fervently believe in the efficacy of humour and often use it to defuse ageism.