Pedestrian Crossings
Types of Pedestrian Crossings
There are various types and combinations of crossings that can
be used for pedestrians, equestrians and cyclists. The
responsibility for the provision of pedestrian facilities rests
with Perth & Kinross Council, as Roads Authority. The various
types of facility and how they operate are described as
follows.
Pelican Crossings
[Pedestrian Light Controlled Crossing]
Pelican Crossings have been around for many years and the first
TV adverts starred the voice of Deryck Guyler back in 1969. Once
you have pressed the push button at a Pelican crossing, the Wait
lamp will illuminate. You must wait until you see the Red Man
change to the Green Man, and then once the traffic has stopped you
can walk straight across the road. An audible alert is fitted for
the visually impaired where operating conditions permit. When the
Green Man is flashing it means the lights are about to change to
allow the traffic to move again and you should not begin to cross
the road.
 |
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| Pelican Crossing - Green Man |
Pelican Crossing - Red Man |
Puffin Crossings
[Pedestrian User Friendly Intelligent Crossing]
Puffin crossings are like Pelican Crossings but you no longer
look over the road for the invitation to cross as the Red and Green
Man are mounted on the signal pole at your Left or Right hand
side.
The Puffin has been introduced because it is of use to a greater
portion of the public, in particular visually impaired people. The
Puffin has detectors that can tell when people are waiting to
cross; this is why you must stand by the push button box once you
have pressed the button. When the button has been pressed, a red
indicator lights up, but you must wait until you see the Red Man
change to the Green Man. Once the Green Man illuminates and you are
sure the traffic has stopped, walk straight across the road. These
sites are always fitted with either an audible alert or a rotating
tactile cone (sometimes both) for the visually and hearing
impaired.
Zebra Crossings
Zebra Crossings consist of thick black and white strips across a
road with an orange flashing beacon on either pavement. These
Crossings give pedestrians the right of way however they must make
sure that all traffic has stopped before they use the crossing. A
Belisha Beacon is a tall black and white pole topped by flashing
orange globe. They appear on either side of the road at zebra
crossings. They are named after Leslie Hore-Belisha, the Minister
of Transport who introduced them in 1934.
Toucan Crossings
Toucan crossings are where pedestrians and cyclists share a wide
and un-segregated crossing area. Cyclists can ride across –
all users should avoid changing direction suddenly. Cyclists should
keep their speed down and be prepared to give way to avoid possible
conflicts.
Intelligent Toucan Crossings are the latest design of road crossing
for both pedestrians and cyclists and have the following
features:
Built in sensors checking to see if anyone is waiting to
cross.
Less delays stopping traffic only for as long as it takes for
people to cross the road and only when someone is waiting.
Safer, clearer signals protecting people crossing by a red traffic
light until they reach the other side of the road. There is no
flashing amber phase.
How to use the crossing
Pedestrians - Watch the red man on the display nearest to you.
When it changes to green, a bleeper may sound and you may cross the
road with care.
Cyclists - Watch the red cycle on the display nearest to you. When
it changes to green, a bleeper may sound and you may ride across
the road with care.
Pedestrian Refuge Islands
The most basic form of crossing is a pedestrian refuge. This is
usually in the form of an island in the centre of the road to help
protect pedestrians from traffic. Refuge islands allow pedestrians
to be concerned with only one direction of traffic at a time. For
example, a pedestrian can cross to the refuge island and wait for
an adequate gap in traffic before crossing the second half of the
road.
Requests for Pedestrians Crossings
If you would like to request a new or improved pedestrian
crossing facility for you area, please contact: see contact
details
Please provide background details, the current problem and any
other relevant information. You can also approach your Community
Council or your local councillor.
The assessment method for assessing sites for pedestrian crossings
is based on the framework contained in Local Transport Note 1/95
(**link to attached PDF) to encourage informed decisions to be made
as to whether a crossing is necessary and if so what type should b
used. The framework considers:
- carriageway and footway width
- surroundings
- vehicular / pedestrian flow and composition
- average crossing time and difficulty of crossing
- road accidents
Dropped Kerbs
Dropped kerbs are used to ease road crossing for mothers with
prams and wheel chairs as well as less mobile pedestrians such as
the elderly, disabled and visually impaired. Dropped kerbs can
normally be seen at road junctions. The Traffic and Road
Safety Section has a revenue budget for the provision of dropped
kerbs at junctions and requests should be made to: see contact
details.
