Pedestrian Crossings Explained

Pelican Crossing

Pelican Crossing (Pedestrian Light Controlled)

• How it works: Pedestrians press a button to activate traffic lights.
• Traffic sequence: Red → flashing amber → green.
• Driver rules:
  • Stop at red.
  • At flashing amber, you must give way to pedestrians still crossing, but you may proceed if the crossing is clear.
• Pedestrian signals: Red/green man shown on the far side of the road.
• Notes: Pelican crossings are being phased out in favour of Puffins, but they still exist in some places.

Zebra Crossing

Zebra Crossing

• How it works: Pedestrians have priority once they’ve stepped onto the crossing. No traffic lights.
• Features: Black-and-white painted stripes on the road with flashing Belisha beacons (amber globes on poles).
• Driver rules:
  • You must give way to pedestrians who are on the crossing.
  • Be prepared to stop for those waiting to cross.
• Notes: Often found in towns and residential areas, usually on slower roads.

ZEBRA CROSSING WITH CENTRE RESERVATION

A zebra crossing with a centre reservation is a pedestrian crossing that has:

• The familiar black and white stripes painted across the road.
• A central refuge island (sometimes called a pedestrian refuge or centre reservation) in the middle of the road.

This design allows pedestrians to cross one direction of traffic at a time, making it safer and easier to manage on wider or busier roads.

Key points about how it works under UK law and the Highway Code:

• Each half of the crossing (up to the island) is treated as a separate crossing.
• Drivers must give way to pedestrians who have stepped onto the crossing on their side of the road.
• If a pedestrian is waiting on the island, traffic on the other side does not have to stop until that person steps onto the crossing.
• Belisha beacons (flashing amber lights on poles) are usually provided on both sides of the road, and sometimes on the island too, to highlight the crossing.

Think of it as two zebra crossings placed back-to-back with a safe waiting area in the middle.

This is especially useful on dual carriageways or roads too wide for a single-stage zebra crossing.

PUFIN Crossing

Puffin Crossing (Pedestrian User-Friendly Intelligent)

• How it works: Uses sensors to detect pedestrians waiting and crossing. Lights change depending on their presence.
• Traffic sequence: Standard traffic light sequence – red → amber → green (no flashing amber).
• Pedestrian signals: Shown at near side, eye level, not across the road.
• Driver rules:
  • Stay at red until lights change.
  • No flashing amber phase – wait until green.
• Notes: Designed to improve safety by avoiding confusion and adapting timings. Replacing older Pelican crossings.

Toucan Crossing

Toucan Crossing (Two-can cross)

• How it works: Shared crossing for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Features: Wider than normal, with traffic lights controlling both groups.
• Pedestrian/cyclist signals: Combined red/green man and bicycle symbols.
• Driver rules: Must stop when lights are red, give way until lights change.
• Notes: Common near parks, cycle routes, and busy junctions. Name comes from “two-can” (pedestrians and cyclists can cross together).

Parallel Crossing

A parallel crossing is a newer type of pedestrian crossing in the UK.

It looks a lot like a zebra crossing, but with an added feature:

• Black and white zebra stripes for pedestrians.
• Side-by-side markings for cyclists (usually a pair of painted lines with bicycle symbols) running parallel to the zebra stripes.

This allows pedestrians and cyclists to cross the road together, each in their own lane, without dismounting.

Key Features

• Pedestrian side: works exactly like a zebra crossing. Drivers must give way once someone steps onto it.
• Cyclist side: drivers must also give way to cyclists crossing, just as they do with pedestrians.
• Belisha beacons: flashing amber globes on black-and-white poles are placed at the edges to mark the crossing.
• Often found linking up with cycle tracks or shared-use paths.

Important Differences from Other Crossings

• Unlike a zebra crossing, it’s legally for both cyclists and pedestrians.
• Unlike a toucan crossing (traffic light controlled), a parallel crossing has no signals – priority is given by law, not lights.
• Cyclists don’t need to get off and push; they can simply ride across.

You can think of it as a zebra crossing plus a cycle lane.

Word of Warning : – Because the crossing part of the kerb is a lot wider people will often start to cross on the cycle part and not the actual zebra crossing

Equestrian / Pegasus Crossing

• How it works: Designed for horse riders as well as pedestrians.
• Features:
  • Wider crossing.
  • Mounted controls at a higher level for riders.
  • May also include normal pedestrian push buttons.
• Signals: Show a red/green horse symbol.
• Driver rules: Stop when lights are red, allow safe passage for horses.
• Notes: Found near bridleways, racecourses, or rural/urban edge roads.

Staggered Crossing

Staggered Crossing

• How it works: A pedestrian crossing that doesn’t go straight across — the two halves are offset, with a central refuge or island.
• Types:
  • Staggered Pelican/Puffin/Toucan: Each side controlled separately by its own signals.
  • Staggered Zebra: Offset stripes with a refuge in between.
• Driver rules: Each half is treated as a separate crossing — traffic on one side is controlled independently from the other.
• Notes: Reduces waiting times and increases safety by breaking crossings into shorter sections.

---

Summary

• Zebra = black and white stripes + flashing beacons, no traffic lights.
• Pelican = button + flashing amber phase.
• Puffin = button + sensors + standard lights (no flashing amber).
• Toucan = pedestrians + cyclists.
• Pegasus = pedestrians + horses.
• Staggered = crossing in two stages, offset with central refuge.