Editing Pedestrian crossing (section)

==Distinctions by region==

===North America===
[[File:US DontWalk Traffic Signal.JPG|alt=A signal displaying in red the text DON'T WALK|thumb|A traditional, now-defunct U.S. "DON'T WALK" signal]]
[[File:Crossride on Barrington Street Halifax.jpg|thumb|A crosswalk at a signalized intersection, showing the 'parallel line'-type]]
[[File:Tonawanda Rails-to-Trails - 20200117 - 02.jpg|thumb|A ladder-style crosswalk by a STOP sign]]
{{Main|Crosswalks in North America}}
In the United States, crosswalks are sometimes marked with white stripes, though many [[Municipality|municipalities]] have slightly different styles. The designs used vary widely between [[Jurisdiction|jurisdictions]], and often vary even between a city and its county (or local equivalents).<ref name=":52"/> Most frequently, they are marked with two parallel white lines running from one side of the road to the other, with the width of the lines being typically {{Convert|12|to|24|in}} wide.<ref name=":52"/><ref name=":63">{{Cite web |date=2009 |title=Chapter 3B - MUTCD 2009 Edition |url=https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2009/part3/part3b.htm |access-date=10 March 2017 |website=FHWA |language=en}}</ref>

Marked crosswalks are usually placed at traffic intersections or crossroads, but are occasionally used at mid-block locations, which may include additional regulatory signage such as "PED XING" (for "pedestrian crossing"), flashing yellow beacons (also known as rectangular rapid-flashing beacons or RRFBs), stop or yield signs, or by actuated or automatic signals. Some more innovative crossing treatments include in-pavement flashers, yellow flashing warning lights installed in the roadway, or [[HAWK beacon]].<ref name=":52">{{Cite web |series=Designing Sidewalks and Trails for Access |title=Part II of II: Best Practices Design Guide |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/sidewalk2/sidewalks208.cfm |access-date=April 11, 2024 |website=Federal Highway Administration}}</ref>

Crossing laws vary between different states and provinces and sometimes at the local level.<ref name="row-xwalk503">{{cite web |title=Right of Way in the Crosswalk |url=http://americawalks.org/wp-content/upload/Right-of-Way-in-the-Crosswalk_2013.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729000248/http://americawalks.org/wp-content/upload/Right-of-Way-in-the-Crosswalk_2013.pdf |archive-date=29 July 2014}}</ref> All U.S. states require vehicles to yield to a pedestrian who has entered a marked crosswalk, and in most states crosswalks exist at all intersections meeting at approximately right angles, whether they are marked or not.<ref name="row-xwalk503"/><ref>See [http://www.tfhrc.gov/safety/pubs/04100/01.htm here]{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} (discussing the [[Uniform Vehicle Code]] and stating that "a crosswalk at an intersection is defined as the extension of the sidewalk or the shoulder across the intersection, regardless of whether it is marked or not."); see also California Vehicle Code section 275(a) ("'Crosswalk' is . . . [t]hat portion of a roadway included within the [extension] of the boundary lines of sidewalks at intersections where the intersecting roadways meet at approximately right angles, except the [extension] of such lines from an alley across a street")</ref>

At crossings controlled by signals, generally the [[Utility pole|poles]] at both ends of the crosswalk also have the pedestrian signal heads. For many years these bore white {{smallcaps|walk}} and [[Portland Orange]] {{smallcaps|dont walk}} legends,<ref name=":32">{{Cite web |date=December 2000 |title=2000 MUTCD - PART 4 - TRAFFIC SIGNALS |url=https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/millennium/12.18.00/4.pdf |access-date=9 March 2017 |website=[[Federal Highway Administration|fhwa.dot.gov]] |pages=4E1 to 4E14}}</ref> but pictograms of an "upraised hand" (symbolizing {{smallcaps|dont walk}}) and a "walking person" (symbolizing {{smallcaps|walk}}) have been required since 2009.<ref name="mutcd-4e2">{{cite web |date=2009 |title=Chapter 4E - MUTCD 2009 Edition |url=https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2009/part4/part4e.htm |access-date=9 March 2017 |website=FHWA}}</ref><ref name="racism2">{{cite web |last=Kaufman |first=David |date=6 July 2020 |title=The Unintentional Racism Found in Traffic Signals |url=https://level.medium.com/the-unintentional-racism-found-in-traffic-signals-b2899c34fefb |access-date=21 April 2021}}</ref><ref>https://wynnfieldmobile.com/84-year-old-wynnfield-resident-killed-while-walking-on-road/</ref>

===Europe===
In Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany and other European countries,{{Which|date=December 2021}} 90% of pedestrian fatalities occur outside of pedestrian crossings. The highest rate is in the UK, which has fewer crossings than neighbouring European countries.<ref name="theaa.com">{{Cite web|title=Public Affairs : AA pedestrian crossings survey in Europe - the AA|url=http://www.theaa.com/public_affairs/news/aa-pedestrian-crossings-in-europe-survey.html}}</ref>

====Continental Europe====
[[File:20241120 094517 Zebrastreifen 01.jpg|thumb|The typical Continental pedestrian crossing sign]]
[[File:Panneaux_suisses_3.02_2.41.1.jpg|alt=A roundabout with a pedestrian crossing across one arm, except the crossing stripes are yellow.|thumb|Swiss yellow pedestrian crossings]]
[[File:Ampelmann gruen.jpg|thumb|A Berlin {{Lang|de|Ampelmännchen}} signal, showing green]]
Nearly every country of [[Continental Europe]] is party to (though has not necessarily ratified) the [[Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals|Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals (1968)]], which says of pedestrian crossings: 'to mark pedestrian crossings, relatively broad stripes, parallel to the axis of the carriageway, should preferably be used'.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://treaties.un.org/doc/Treaties/1978/06/19780606%2000-35%20AM/CTC-xi-b-20-searchable.pdf |title=Convention on Road Signs and Signals |date=8 November 1968 |series=United Nations Treaty Series |volume=1091 |location=Vienna |page=27 |language=en, fr, zh, ru, es |chapter=Article 29 |via=United Nations Treaty Collection}}</ref> This means that pedestrian crossing styles are quite uniform across the Continent. However, while the stripes are normally white, in Switzerland they are yellow.<ref>{{Citation |last=Mazzone |first=Francesco |title=International cooperation to improve the safety of European pedestrian crossings |date=25 November 2008 |url=https://www.polisnetwork.eu/uploads/Modules/PublicDocuments/pedestrian_crossings_intro.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329055817/https://www.polisnetwork.eu/uploads/Modules/PublicDocuments/pedestrian_crossings_intro.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2018-03-29}}</ref>

Furthermore, the [[Vienna Convention on Road Traffic|Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (1968)]] states that pedestrians should use pedestrian crossings when one is nearby (§6.c) and prohibits the overtaking of other vehicles approaching crossings, unless the driver would be able to stop for a pedestrian.<ref name="unece.org convention road traffic2">{{Citation |title=Convention on Road Traffic |url=http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/conventn/Conv_road_traffic_EN.pdf |via=unece.org}}</ref> The 1971 European supplement to that Convention re-iterates the former and outlaws the standing or parking of vehicles around pedestrian crossings. It also specifies signs and markings: the  "pedestrian crossing sign" is on a blue or black ground, with a white or yellow triangle where the symbol is displayed in black or dark blue, and that the minimum width recommended for pedestrian crossings is 2.5 m (or 8-foot) on roads on which the speed limit is lower than 60 km/h (or 37 mph), and 4 m (or 13-foot) on roads with a higher or no speed limit.<ref name="ReferenceA2">{{Citation |title=Convention on Road Signs and Signals of 1968; European Agreement Supplementing the Convention; and Protocol on Road Markings, Additional to the European Agreement |date=2006 |url=http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/conventn/Conv_road_signs_2006v_EN.pdf |series=ECE/TRANS/196 |publisher=United Nations Publication}}</ref>

In France, it is not mandatory that crosswalks exist. However, if there is one less than 50 meters (55 yards) away, pedestrians are obliged to use it.<ref>Code de la route, article R412-37</ref>

In the east of Germany, including [[Berlin]], the unique ''[[Ampelmännchen]]'' design for pedestrian lights are widely used. These signals originated in the former East Germany and have become an icon of the city and of [[ostalgie]] – nostalgia for East German life. A study has shown they are more effective than Western-style icons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-08-20 |title=Go ahead: Bring back East Germany's little traffic light man, say |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/go-ahead-bring-back-east-germany-s-little-traffic-light-man-say-researchers-8776994.html |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>

====United Kingdom====
{{Main|Pedestrian crossings in the United Kingdom}}
[[File:A blustery morning in Llandudno - geograph.org.uk - 4679013.jpg|thumb|A zebra crossing on the sea front of [[Llandudno]], with the traditional – and mandatory – 'belisha' beacons]]
[[File:"PUFFIN" crossing, Coleraine (1) - geograph.org.uk - 2759755.jpg|thumb|Traditional 'farside' signals are frequently replaced with 'nearside' signal boxes, like this one in [[Coleraine]].]]
The [[United Kingdom]]'s pedestrian crossings are quite distinct from the vast majority of Europe, and they use animal names to distinguish different types of crossing. These conventions have been adapted in some ex-Empire countries, such as [[Ireland]], [[Hong Kong]] and [[Malta]]. 'Look right' and 'look left' markings are sometimes found in tourist areas, to remind pedestrians of the driving direction in the UK.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1097355613 |title=Traffic signs manual. Chapter 5, Road markings |date=2019 |others=Great Britain. Department for Transport, Northern Ireland. Department for Infrastructure, Scotland. Scottish Government, Wales. Welsh Government |isbn=978-0-11-553208-5 |edition=2003 |location=London |oclc=1097355613}}</ref>

Zebra crossings are similar to their Continental counterparts, with white stripe markings, they must have orange flashing globes, called '[[Belisha beacon|belisha beacons]]'. They also normally have zig-zag markings to prevent overtaking and stopping of vehicles.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1134444798 |title=Traffic signs manual. Chapter 6, Traffic control |date=2019 |others=Department for Transport, Northern Ireland. Department for Infrastructure, Scotland. Scottish Government, Wales. Welsh Government |isbn=978-0-11-553744-8 |location=London |oclc=1134444798}}</ref>{{Rp|page=125}}

There are a number of different types of signal-controlled crossing. The traditional [[pelican crossing]] is no longer permitted in the UK, because it has been replaced with more intelligent [[Puffin crossing|puffin crossings]] – which have crossing sensors and low-level pedestrian signals – and pedex crossings, which features pedestrian countdown timers, however in Ireland only pelican crossings are installed. Puffin crossings are rare.<ref name=":02" />{{Rp|page=|pages=62-3; 125}} Cyclists are sometimes permitted to use pedestrian crossings, such as [[Toucan crossing|toucan crossings]] (so named because TWO user types CAN cross) and sparrow crossings.<ref name=":02" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jargon buster |url=https://activetravel.tfgm.com/terminology-explained/ |access-date=2021-12-28 |website=TfGM Active Travel |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Australia===
[[File:Pedestrian and bicycle crossing lantern.jpg|thumb|Crossing lamp/s used at a signalised intersection in Sydney, Australia]]Pictograms are standard on all traffic light controlled crossings. Like some other countries, a flashing red sequence is used prior to steady red to clear pedestrians. Moments after, in some instances, a flashing yellow sequence (for motorists) can begin indicating that the vehicles may proceed through the crossing if safe to do so; this is fairly uncommon however.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=20 April 2024|title=Traffic lights |url=https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/roads-safety-and-rules/stopping-giving-way-turning/traffic-lights#toc-pedestrian-signals |access-date=10 October 2024|publisher=Transport for NSW |language=en-AU}}</ref>

There are two distinctive types of crossings in Australia: marked foot crossings and pedestrian crossing (also called zebra crossings). 

Marked foot crossings consist on two parallel broken white lines indicating where pedestrians must cross with pedestrian lights facing pedestrians and traffic lights facing drivers. These crossings are located at intersections with signals and may also be located between intersections.<ref name="cross">{{Cite web |title=Crossings |url=https://mylicence.sa.gov.au/road-rules/the-drivers-handbook/crossings |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=mylicence.sa.gov.au}}</ref> On most Australian foot crossings, [[PB/5 pedestrian crossing button|PB/5 Audio-Tactile Pedestrian Detector]] push buttons are provided to allow pedestrians to request the green walk (green symbol) display.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How traffic lights work |url=https://transport.vic.gov.au/business/road-and-traffic-management/traffic-lights/how-traffic-lights-work |access-date=10 October 2024 |publisher=Transport Victoria}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sublime design: the PB/5 pedestrian button |url=https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2014/06/sublime-design--the-pb-5-pedestrian-button |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=UNSW Sites |language=en}}</ref>

On the other hand, zebra crossings are common in low traffic areas and their approaches may be marked by zigzag lines.<ref name="cross" /><ref name="nswt">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2021-04-20 |title=Pedestrian crossings |url=https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/roads-safety-and-rules/stopping-giving-way-turning/pedestrian-crossings |access-date=2024-10-10 |website= |publisher=Transport for NSW |language=en-AU}}</ref> When a pedestrian crossing is placed on a raised section of road they are known as wombat crossings and are usually accompanied by a 40km/h speed limit.<ref name="cross" /> Pedestrian crossings can have a yellow sign showing a pair of legs to indicate pedestrian priority.<ref name="nswt" /> Children’s crossings are part-time crossings that usually operate during school zone hours, and at other approved times and locations, marked by red‑orange flags at both sides.<ref name="cross" /><ref name="nswt" /> Reflector signposting is also used at crossings in school zones.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=School zone speed limits and signs |url=https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/rules/schools/school-zone-speed-limits-and-signs |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=www.qld.gov.au |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=1 May 2023 |title=School zones |url=https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/community/schools/school-zones |access-date=11 October 2024 |website= |publisher=Transport for NSW |language=en-AU}}</ref>