What is Toucan crossing?

A toucan crossing is the British term for a type of pedestrian crossing that also allows bicycles to be ridden across. Since “two can” cross together the name “toucan” was chosen. In the United Kingdom toucan crossings are normally four metres wide, instead of the 2.8 metre width of any pelican crossing or puffin crossing.

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.

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 , or on the opposite side of the road. A related crossing type is the pegasus crossing for horse riders.