Editing Zebra crossing (section)

== Characteristics ==
The crossing is characterised by longitudinal stripes on the [[road]], parallel to the flow of the traffic, alternately a light colour and a dark one. The similarity of these markings to those of a [[zebra]] gave rise to the crossing's name. The light colour is usually white and the dark colour may be painted – in which case black is typical – or left unpainted if the road surface itself is dark.  The stripes are typically {{convert|40-60|cm|abbr=on}} wide.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

Sometimes, zebra crossings are placed on a [[speed bump]], meaning the zebra crossing is level with the pavement. This is done to make it safer for pedestrians to cross, since drivers need to slow down to go over the speed bump. However, this is more expensive than a traditional zebra crossing, and can impede the flow of traffic and response times for emergency vehicles, especially on roads with higher speed limits.

In the [[United Kingdom]], the crossing is marked with [[Belisha beacon]]s, which are flashing amber globes on black and white posts on each side of the road, named after [[Leslie Hore-Belisha]], the [[Secretary of State for Transport|Minister of Transport]], who introduced them in 1934. Pedestrians have [[Priority (right of way)|priority]] when they step onto the crossing: ''[[The Highway Code]]'' states that road traffic "MUST give way when a pedestrian has moved onto a crossing."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/pedestrian-crossings.html|title=Using the road - Pedestrian crossings (191 to 199)|website=The Highway Code|access-date=10 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110225125/http://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/pedestrian-crossings.html|archive-date=2017-11-10|url-status=live}}</ref>

In other countries, such as the [[United States]], zebra crossings are also used on [[pedestrian crossing]]s controlled by traffic signals.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tcs.ch/de/testberichte-ratgeber/ratgeber/verkehrsregeln/fussgaengerstreifen.php |title=Regeln am Fussgängerstreifen |trans-title=Rules on the pedestrian stripe |publisher=Touring Club Schweiz |access-date=2017-11-10 |language=de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171111094740/https://www.tcs.ch/de/testberichte-ratgeber/ratgeber/verkehrsregeln/fussgaengerstreifen.php |archive-date=2017-11-11 |url-status=live }}</ref>