Pedestrian signals are used worldwide to help motorists and pedestrians share the road. There are two types of signals: joint traffic and dedicated pedestrian crossing. Pedestrian signals use pictograms or English words to indicate when it is safe to cross. Additional features, such as countdowns, are used to provide more information to pedestrians. A special pedestrian crossing can be activated by pressing a button to stop vehicular traffic.
All over the world, pedestrian signals are used to help motorists and pedestrians share the road. A combination of colored lights and signals are used to stop vehicular traffic in one direction, start it in another, and inform pedestrians when it is safe to cross the road. Surprisingly, the actual symbols used in pedestrian signals are fairly consistent around the world.
There are two classes of pedestrian signals: joint traffic and dedicated pedestrian crossing. Joint pedestrian signals are typically found at intersections. Traffic signals are used to control vehicular traffic and pedestrian signals are used to ensure that pedestrians can cross the road safely. In this scenario, both vehicles and pedestrians have dedicated signals.
Road signs for vehicles have red, yellow and green lights. One light is shown at a time and they are changed on a timer. The lights for each street are coordinated, so traffic only moves one way through the intersection at a time. There are minor variations in road signs, but the colors are universal. The red signal means stop, the yellow is yield and the green is to proceed.
Pedestrian signals at an intersection are also coordinated with traffic signals, but they are an entirely different set of signals. The most common pedestrian signs are pictograms. An image of a person walking is used to indicate that the road is safe to cross, and a hand pointing up is used to indicate that the road is unsafe. In the United States, some signs use the English words “Don’t Walk” and “Walk” instead of pictograms. However, this type of sign is slowly being replaced with the more universal pictograms.
In many countries, additional features are added to signals to provide more information to the pedestrian. For example, a walk cue can turn into a flashing hand five seconds before the cue changes. In other locations, a countdown from ten to zero is used to indicate the amount of time remaining before the signal changes. The purpose of these two improvements is to let pedestrians know how much time is left so they can decide if there is enough time to cross the road safely.
A special pedestrian crossing is located in a stretch of road without any intersection. The pedestrian can stop vehicular traffic by pressing a button, which activates flashing yellow lights. Once the vehicles have stopped, the pedestrian can cross the road. This type of crossing is often found in front of schools and shopping malls.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
