Toucan puffin crossing uk. This is a surprise crossing we didnt mention at the beginning but its worth knowing about. Many local councils in the uk are replacing existing pelican crossings with puffin crossings to improve traffic flow especially in places prone to queues. Since two can both pedestrians and cyclists cross together the name toucan was chosen.
A puffin crossing doesnt have a flashing amber phase. Toucan crossings are incorporated into cycle routes. A toucan crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing that also allows bicycles to be ridden across.
Puffin and toucan crossings are traffic signal controlled and are the most expensive to install and maintain. The design is distinct in that the lights controlling the pedestrians are on the same side of the road as the pedestrian user rather than on the opposite side as in the older pelican crossing it replaces. Toucan crossing toucan crossing.
Puffin crossings might look similar and work in a similar way to pelican crossings but there are some key differences to be aware of. These type of crossings are only considered when there is a high demand for pedestrians and or cyclists to cross a busy section of road. You have to wait until the lights turn green before you move off.
A toucan crossing works in a similar way to a puffin crossing using sensors to detect when there are people waiting to cross or already crossing the road. With a toucan crossing the area is wider and there is plenty of space for cyclists. Thats doesnt mean the cyclists cant use zebra pelican and puffin crossings but they should get off their bikes and wheel them across.
Puffin crossings have two sensors on top of the traffic lights a pedestrian crossing detector pcd and pedestrian kerb detector pkd. Puffin crossings are more intelligent than pelican crossings. A puffin crossing its name derived from the phrase pedestrian user friendly intelligent is a type of pedestrian crossing in use in the united kingdom.
If the crossing goes straight across the road you need to treat it as one crossing whereas if it is staggered with two separate sets of buttons for pedestrians you can treat it as two crossings. As such they allow cyclists to cross without dismounting as they should at other crossings. These make the crossing more efficient by detecting whether pedestrians are crossing slowly which prompts the crossing to hold the red traffic light longer.
In the united kingdom toucan crossings are normally four metres 13 feet wide instead of the 28 metre 9 feet width of any pelican crossing or puffin crossing.