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Children's crossing in Sri Lanka
(all pict. H. De Meyer; IV.2002)
The most common sign is this copy of the drawing of the UK-sign put in a new-world diamond (UK-signs are triangular). All other UK-inspired children's road signs (f.e. Egypt, Iran, Iceland, Sweden) stick to the triangle. Australia also goes for diamond, but the drawing only adheres the conventions of the UK-group without copying the drawing.

Our second sample is also worth a word or two. It is based on the all too common new-world mother-drawing that we find popping up in many corners of the globe (I couldn't write cube, could I ?). But there is an important change. You've probably already noticed that the man here goes first ! In other countries he follows the lady.
I wonder if this is an example of the swop behaviour between old and new designs? (Read more about that in South-Africa.)

Australia U.S.A.
Gender relations on the road are not less an etiquette minefield than at the office. But perhaps that we could dig something relevant up from our team library ? It was a very instructive experience. Do you know when a man should walk between two women? And when to their left? I do. But I digress.
My study yielded two rules of importance for our case:
  1. A man walks on the curb side, thus sheltering her. When she needs assistance, or in heavy traffic, or going up steps, he gives her his arm.
  2. A man should precede a woman when walking down stairs (presumably so that he can catch her should the need arise).
These two simple rules suffice to understand the reasoning behind both designs and thus the attitude of the maker towards traffic and women.

In the new-world approach (Australia, U.S.A., Canada) he gives her his arm. She needs assistance because traffic is dangerous. But he doesn't want to drive it too far by walking also at the curb-side to save her from freak vehicles.
The design from Sri Lanka tells us that traffic isn't that deadly dangerous (no arm giving here). He never the less precedes the lady because of the second rule. A sidewalk is indeed a special case of a staircase. Reduced to one step, but still. Crossing the street is also walking down stairs and he must go first.

The running boy with short trousers and a book bag would perfectly blend in between signs from India. Given its weathered face presumably one of the older signs. I've been told that old signs are never removed in Sri Lanka, only new ones added.
near Negombo
The girl too seems under the influence of India. A lovely and lively drawing making it extremely difficult to put up with the march of the faceless icons. We have another lively girl in Austria.

The last sample occurs on schoolbusses in Kandy. It is a copy of the Japanese sign from Tokyo.

Kandy; on schoolbus
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More roadsigns from Sri Lanka: Men at work - Falling rocks