Pelican crossing - Definition and Overview

Control panel at a pelican crossing

A pelican crossing, (from Pelicon crossing: PEdestrian LIght CONtrolled crossing, a synonymous term) is a type of pedestrian crossing. It features a standard set of traffic lights, plus a push button and a further two coloured lamps for pedestrians using the crossing.

The Pelican Crossing was the original type of light controlled crossing, introduced in the 1960s. The pedestrian lights are situated on the far side of the road to the pedestrian. A Puffin crossing has the lights on the same side as the pedestrian; a Toucan crossing is a crossing for pedestrians and bicycles.

Green man in the UK

In most countries, lights for pedestrians use the image of a "green man" pictured walking (although white is also a common colour), and a "red man" pictured stationary or a "stop hand" suggesting the hand gesture for stop. In parts of the United States (particularly New York City) these lamps may take the shape of "Walk"/"Don't Walk" messages, although pictograms are also seen in some regions. In most of the US, the difference is more often related to the age of the intersection — for decades, only words were used for the signals. The pictograms have only started being used in the last 20–30 years.

Pelican type crossings sometimes have further non-visual indication that it is safe to cross, such as a beep, vibrating button or tactile rotating cone in order to assist blind or partially sighted pedestrians.

East Germany had a somewhat old-fashioned pictogram on the lamps. After the reunification (German Unity Day) it became a cult. The Ampelmännchen (traffic light mannekin). However, the style in the western states did not change.