A toucan crossing is the British term for a type of

pedestrian crossing A pedestrian crossing (or crosswalk in American English) is a place designated for pedestrians to cross a road, street or avenue. The term "pedestrian crossing" is also used in the Vienna and Geneva Conventions, both of which pertain to road si ...

that also allows bicycles to be ridden across. Since ''“two can”'' cross together (both pedestrians and cyclists) the name “

toucan Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five ...

” was chosen. In the United Kingdom toucan crossings are normally four metres (13 feet) wide, instead of the 2.8 metre (9 feet) width of any pelican crossing or

puffin crossing A puffin crossing (its name derived from the phrase "pedestrian user-friendly intelligent") is a type of pedestrian crossing in use in the United Kingdom. The design is distinct from the older pelican crossing in that the lights signalling to ...

. There are two types of toucan crossing: on more recently installed ones, a “green bicycle” is displayed next to the “green man” when cyclists and pedestrians are permitted to cross. A red bicycle and red man are shown at other times; older crossings do not have a red bicycle – bicycles are permitted to cross at any time (if it is safe to do so). Unlike the pelican crossing, before the lights for vehicles go back to green, a steady red and amber are displayed instead of the flashing amber. The pedestrian/cyclist signal lights may be on the near side of the crossing (like a puffin crossing), or on the opposite side of the road (like a pelican crossing). A related crossing type is the pegasus crossing for horse riders.

References

* ''The History of British Roadsigns'',

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The ...

, Second Edition, 1999 {{DEFAULTSORT:Toucan Crossing Cycling in the United Kingdom Pedestrian crossings Cycling safety Walking in the United Kingdom