A toucan crossing is the British term for a type of pedestrian crossing that also allows bicycles to be ridden across.[1] Since “two can” cross together (both pedestrians and cyclists) the name “toucan” was chosen.[2] 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.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/TUCANCrossing.jpg/220px-TUCANCrossing.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Colliers_Wood_London_2011_15.jpg/120px-Colliers_Wood_London_2011_15.jpg)
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).[3]
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.[4]
References
edit- ^ The Highway Code, 2015, Rule 80
- ^ Traffic Engineering & Control. Printerhall. 2000.
- ^ Cyclecraft. Allen & Unwin. 2011.
- ^ "The Highway Code: Rules For Cyclists (59–82)". direct.gov.uk. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- The History of British Roadsigns, Department for Transport, Second Edition, 1999