Toucan crossing

Toucan crossing, Vauxhall (2004)

Control panel, London (2011)

A toucan crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing found in the United Kingdom that also allows bicycles to be ridden across.^[1] Since two–can, both pedestrians and cyclists, cross together, the name "toucan" was chosen.

In the United Kingdom, toucan crossings are normally 4 metres (13 feet) wide, instead of the 2.8–metre (9 feet) width of a pelican crossing or puffin crossing. There are two types of toucan crossing: on more recent 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 ones do not have a red bicycle – bicycles are permitted to cross at any time (if it is safe to do so).^[2]

Unlike the pelican crossing, before the lights for vehicles go back to green, a steady red and amber are displayed instead of a 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 Highway Code: Rules For Cyclists (59-82)", DirectGov, Retrieved 2012-07-10
• The History of British Roadsigns, Dept. for Transport, 2nd Edition, 1999