PENSIONERS' rights campaigners in the Westcountry have

backed a call to replace road signs which they say give a

"negative" image of elderly people.

The traffic sign depicting a hunched couple with a walking

stick, warning motorists to watch out for vulnerable

pedestrians, has been a familiar sight on the roads since the

1980s.

Campaigners are now calling for it to be replaced because

they claim it is insulting to today's fitter and more active

older citizens. They say it should either be replaced with a

more fitting image or with reduced speed limits to safeguard

elderly pedestrians.

Lizzy McLennan, Help the Aged senior policy officer, said:

"The sign portrays a small proportion of the older generation.

Very few older people are hunched over, with a walking stick.

They are assuming everyone who is old looks like that, and they

don't."

Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, said: "The

motivation behind these signs – to make drivers more careful of

their speed in areas with residential care homes – is positive.

In practice, a reduced speed limit in such areas, as

implemented in school districts, would be a more welcome way to

achieve this."

Martyn Rogers, director of Age Concern Exeter, agreed. He

said: "I would go along with the fact that it's a negative

image that labels all elderly people as being stooped and

infirm, which of course is a long way from the truth. Maybe in

some areas we need to have something which says be aware of

pedestrians in general."

Although he accepted the signs could be seen as simply a

symbolic way to represent a certain group, rather than a direct

insult, Mr Rogers said: "It's still a subliminal message among

many others that just helps to make this an ageist

society."

He said the cost of replacing the signs would be a "drop in

the ocean" and he thought the Government should support the

notion of having signs that "do not discriminate against a

certain group or show a certain group in a negative light".

However, the Taxpayers' Alliance described the objections as

ridiculous and a waste of public money.

Campaign director Mark Wallace said: "They should pay more

attention to the real concerns of older people – rising taxes

and soaring household bills."

Wailim Wong, South West spokesman for the Department for

Transport, said there were no plans to change the signs in the

near future.

He said: "The official purpose of the signs is to warn

drivers that people with walking difficulties of any age could

be crossing the road and may need extra time."

The word elderly is no longer used in the Highway Code's

description. "It now says, 'Frail or disabled people are likely

to cross the road'," said Mr Wong.