Pedestrian Crossing Facilities

Different Types of Crossing

Zebra Crossing

• These crossings have black and white stripes on the carriageway with orange flashing beacons on each side of the road
•  A Zebra crossing gives pedestrians right of way once their foot is on the crossing
• However, pedestrians must make sure that all the traffic has stopped before crossing and they should keep looking and listening as they cross.

Pelican (Pedestrian Light Controlled Crossing)

• Pelican crossings are traffic light controlled and require the pedestrian to press a button on the WAIT box to stop the traffic
• Pedestrians should only cross when the green man lights up and all the traffic has stopped
• Sometimes there is a bleeper to help blind or partially sighted people know when it is safe to cross
• Alternatively there may be a rotating knob underneath the WAIT box, which turns when the green man lights up
• Pedestrians should not start to cross if the green man is flashing.

Puffin Crossings (Pedestrian User Friendly Intelligent Crossing)

• Puffin crossings look very similar to Pelicans
•  Puffin crossings are an updated version of a Pelican Crossing
• Pedestrians still have to push the button but the crossings incorporate sensors that detect the presence of  pedestrians waiting to cross and make sure that traffic remains stopped until all the pedestrians have crossed the road
• Alternatively if a pedestrian moves away from the crossing after pressing the button the traffic lights won't stop the traffic unnecessarily
• Puffins do not have a flashing green man for pedestrians or a flashing amber for drivers.

Toucan Crossings (Two-Can Cross)

• These crossings are provided for pedestrians and cyclists, usually at sites where cycle routes cross busy roads
•  They are similar to a Pelican with the crossing operated by a push button on the WAIT box
• They incorporate a green and red cycle signal as well as the more familiar red and green man
• The main advantage for cyclists is that they do not have to dismount to crossToucans also have sensors to detect pedestrians using the crossing.

Pedestrian Refuges

• In some locations, where a formal pedestrian crossing cannot be introduced, a pedestrian refuge island may be provided
•  These allow pedestrians to negotiate each direction of traffic separately
• However, there needs to be sufficient carriageway width before an island can be provided (at least 7.8metres on a single carriageway road)
•  Pedestrians should cross with care as drivers have priority at pedestrian refuge islands.

Facilities for the Disabled

• Tactile paving is now used at all new zebra and pelican crossings to help people with impaired vision
•  Tactile paving is also used at many ramped crossing points
• Many pelican crossings have audible signals or the rotating tactile unit beneath the push button unit, as well as the green man signal, to indicate when it is safe to cross the road.

Requesting a New Pedestrian Crossing

The council receives many requests for crossings facilities to be provided. Each request is investigated in detail in order to determine the extent of the problem and the feasibility of providing a crossing facility. This may include a detailed site survey which will identify the number of people crossing, the amount of traffic, the difficulty in crossing and other factors including the number of injury accidents on the road near the site and the proximity of local facilities such as hospitals, schools and shops. The provision of a crossing will depend on its priority in relation to other sites, its contribution to the policy and strategic objectives of the Council and the availability of resources.