circulation à bras

English translation: point duty

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:circulation à bras
English translation:point duty
Entered by: B D Finch

14:48 Feb 12, 2020
French to English translations [PRO]
Safety / Policing
French term or phrase: circulation à bras
I would be grateful for suggestions for "circulation à bras."

This term appears in a press release concerning a new policing unit. The whole sentence is:

"Les fonctionnaires choisis, disposant d’une solide expérience, sont rompus à la pratique de la circulation à bras afin d’accentuer l’efficacité de cette unité. Pour assurer une réactivité optimale et réduire les temps de déplacement, les policiers de cette Unité sont dotés de cycles à assistance électrique."

I can find no reference to this term. Does it perhaps refer to riding a two-wheeled vehicle?
Jane Golding
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:41
point duty
Explanation:
https://www.monacochannel.mc/Chaines/Gouvernement-Princier/A...
"La mission principale de cette Unité est de veiller à la préservation et à l’amélioration du cadre de vie des résidents de la Principauté. Aussi, elle s’attache plus particulièrement à fluidifier la circulation et à lutter contre toute forme de nuisances sonores et d’incivilités."

The first photo shows a policeman on point duty and a bicycle parked on the pavement. It might mean that the policemen concerned are taken off normal point duty to form a sort of point duty and general civic behaviour flying squad, zooming to where they are needed on their electric bicycles. I trust that they keep at least one hand on the handlebars at all times and refrain from doint wheelies!



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Note added at 19 hrs (2020-02-13 09:53:10 GMT)
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https://www.gettyimages.fr/detail/photo-d'actualité/pol...
Point Duty in the East End of London
A policeman on point duty at the junction of Commercial Road with the junction of East India Dock Road and West India Dock Road, stands on a mat, 11th January 1954. (Photo by Bela Zola/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)

Incredible how empty the road is in the photo, which makes one wonder why they needed a policeman on point duty.

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Note added at 19 hrs (2020-02-13 09:59:38 GMT)
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Here's a link that works for the photo above: https://bit.ly/2UMZQA7
Selected response from:

B D Finch
France
Local time: 19:41
Grading comment
Thank you very much to everyone for your help, much appreciated.
"Point duty" seems to be correct:
Point duty: "the duties of a police officer or other official stationed at a junction to control traffic."
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4point duty
B D Finch
3 +3Manual traffic control
Ben Gaia


  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Manual traffic control


Explanation:
Non US English version

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Note added at 4 hrs (2020-02-12 19:08:39 GMT)
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Originally US jargon and grates on the ear of a native Briton.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2020-02-12 19:15:21 GMT)
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https://www.freethesaurus.com/traffic control

Ben Gaia
New Zealand
Local time: 07:41
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard: You mean "non UK", presumably.
52 mins
  -> Well I am offering an international general English term, to my ear "point duty" is out of "Kojak".

agree  SafeTex: Maybe it's me but I've never heard of "point duty" (or heard but forgotten it) while this makes complete sense to me
5 hrs
  -> NYPD Irish: "Ya screw dis up I'm gonna put you on point dooty for da rest of ya life!"

agree  B D Finch: To my UK ears, manual traffic control sounds like police persons physically pushing cars around.
17 hrs
  -> Overthinking! I believe the Uk term is "directing traffic".
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26 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
la pratique de la circulation à bras
point duty


Explanation:
https://www.monacochannel.mc/Chaines/Gouvernement-Princier/A...
"La mission principale de cette Unité est de veiller à la préservation et à l’amélioration du cadre de vie des résidents de la Principauté. Aussi, elle s’attache plus particulièrement à fluidifier la circulation et à lutter contre toute forme de nuisances sonores et d’incivilités."

The first photo shows a policeman on point duty and a bicycle parked on the pavement. It might mean that the policemen concerned are taken off normal point duty to form a sort of point duty and general civic behaviour flying squad, zooming to where they are needed on their electric bicycles. I trust that they keep at least one hand on the handlebars at all times and refrain from doint wheelies!



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 hrs (2020-02-13 09:53:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

https://www.gettyimages.fr/detail/photo-d'actualité/pol...
Point Duty in the East End of London
A policeman on point duty at the junction of Commercial Road with the junction of East India Dock Road and West India Dock Road, stands on a mat, 11th January 1954. (Photo by Bela Zola/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)

Incredible how empty the road is in the photo, which makes one wonder why they needed a policeman on point duty.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 hrs (2020-02-13 09:59:38 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Here's a link that works for the photo above: https://bit.ly/2UMZQA7

B D Finch
France
Local time: 19:41
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
Thank you very much to everyone for your help, much appreciated.
"Point duty" seems to be correct:
Point duty: "the duties of a police officer or other official stationed at a junction to control traffic."
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you very much for your help.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Carlos Segura
24 mins
  -> Thanks Carlos

disagree  mchd: sauf que dans le contexte ci-dessus, il s'agit de "circulation à bras" et non pas de "régler la circulation" comme dans votre exemple
47 mins
  -> My example appears to be the Asker's source text.

agree  Tony M: I think the telegraphic formulation here is just police jargon, n'en déplaise à l'Académie Française
56 mins
  -> Thanks Tony

agree  Ben Gaia: The bike is to move to another intersection when needed.
1 hr
  -> Thanks Ben. I think you need to delete "Non" in your explanation.

agree  philgoddard: Do people still say this? It makes me think of Dixon of Dock Green.
2 hrs
  -> I think they say it, but they rarely do it. Evening all! (as you mention him)

agree  erwan-l
16 hrs
  -> Thanks
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