Pedestrian crossings
Introduction
By now you will have a good understanding of the Hazard and L.A.D.A routine's when approaching complex crossroads, roundabouts and traffic systems (including ) turning right with little or no support from your instructor so todays lesson brief to look at different types of pedestrian crossing.
Teaching Strategy
On this lesson your instructor will reduce their instruction as much as you need on previous lessons covered and give you as much support on the M.S.P.S.G.L & L.A.D.A and incorporate these routine's when approaching different types of pedestrian crossings with at times more volume of pedestrians and traffic, improving your planning and anticipation of different types of road conditions.
Lesson aims
The aim of today’s lesson is to look at different types of pedestrian crossings working on forward planning with the use of hazard ,L. A. D. A. routine's improving early observations to ensure you know which type crossing is in front of you, correct lanes, correct speed and gears while taking the appropriate observations and stopping in a controlled manor when necessary.
Objectives
Your objective will to be as independent as possible on your general drive your instructor will give you as much help on the new topic brief and by the end of your lesson be able to negotiate different types of pedestrian crossings, reacting to the different light sequence and improving your planning and use of your mirrors with little or no help from your instructor.
Pedestrian crossings
There are different types of pedestrian crossing:-
- School crossing
- Zebra
- Pelican
- Puffin
- Toucan
- Pegasus
In each case you must identify the crossing early, react to the different light sequence and employ your hazard and L.A.D.A routine's.
Please note: A centre refuge island is not a crossing however some pedestrian's mistake it for one.
Approaching all crossing
Apply your L.A.D.A routine and take observations to assess for slowing vehicles (brake lights) in front of you, the amount of pedestrians approaching or even pedestrians crossing the crossing.
Signs you may see on the approach to a pedestrian crossing
Also you may see this flashing amber audible flashing light
Law on zigzag lines
Zig-zag line is an order: NO parking and NO overtake (slower moving vehicles like cycles and mobility scooters) and never wave a pedestrian on the crossing.
Waving a pedestrian across a crossing
Never wave a pedestrian's across the crossing the crossing, it could be unsafe as another vehicle could be coming from the opposite side of the crossing and not stop. Never wave a pedestrian across a pedestrian crossing,
Slow, stop and wait
at the while dotted stop area and allow the pedestrian to cross.
On your driving test your examiner will expect you to demonstrate consideration and courtesy for pedestrians on a crossing, but never wave a pedestrian on any crossing EVER.
You needed to recognise each type of pedestrian crossing and react correctly to each.
Examples of faults
Some of the most common faults for this area include:
- stopping on a crossing (not before)
- moving off before a pedestrian has completely cleared the crossing
- approaching a crossing too fast
- failing to stop at a crossing
Your examiner may have explained the specific details of any faults you made.
How you can improve in this area
If you made faults in this area during your test, or if you want to improve in this area, you should:
- check rules 191 to 199 of The Highway Code
- read pages 188 to 192 of ‘The Official DVSA Guide to Driving: the Essential Skills’ (2022 edition)
If you need to rebook the test, spend time practising and improving this skill with your driving instructor or supervising driver. Practise in an area that passes different kinds of pedestrian crossings.
Routine's to use when approaching all crossings
Use L.A.D.A on the approach - To identify if it’s a green light or no pedestrian approaching or crossing
check is:-
- Mirrors
- Signal will be your brake lights if you need to slow down
- Position to the left (drain width unless the road marking dictate otherwise)
Keep scanning the crossing and continue if safe to do so
- Speed (No need to slow down unless becomes unsafe to carry on)
- Gear (Should be no need to alter your speed or gear)
If you have anticipated that it is not safe to continue
If there was someone approaching or crossing the crossing
- Mirrors
- Signal will be your brake lights if you need to slow down.
- Position to the left (drain width unless the road marking dictate otherwise)
- Speed Stop at the stop line
-
Gear (1st Gear and if it changes go to 2nd gear if clear and keep on going).
L.A.D.A is very important on the approach (always them use 2/3 times on the approach to all crossing’s).
- Crossing (lolly pop) patrol operative will be found before and after school times
- Drive slowly until you are clear of the area (normally 20mph zones, the order sign could be RED or GREEN)
- Be particularly careful as children will be crossing the road (normally in operation at school starting/leaving times)
- You will normally see a red triangle sign before you get to the operative
- There may be a flashing amber signal below the school warning sign to alert you that children may be crossing the road ahead
- Use your all around observations (using the LADA & Hazard routine's)
- When a school crossing patrol officer raises his/her stop sign and before he/she steps into the road you must stop ( There are three signals when the lolly-pop operative moves their stop, below is the information)
- Also be cautious when passing a stationary bus showing a school bus sign
Zebra Crossing
A Zebra crossing have a black and white striped path across a busy road where pedestrians may cross.
PEDESTRIANS using the crossing should give traffic plenty of time to react and slow down and stop, but unfortunately some pedestrians walk
- You dentify that you were approaching a Zebra crossing with the black & white poles with flashing yellow (bellisa) beacons
and white zig-zag road markings.
- REMEMBER driver/riders have to
STOP
when someone is waiting or has stepped onto the crossing (however please demonstrate consideration and courtesy for pedestrians wanting to cross).
- As you approach a zebra crossing and a pedestrian is walking towards the crossing you may need to slow down, give-way and stop if they proceed onto the crossing.
- Always stop before the white dotted line and not after it.
- In heavy traffic
NEVER
cross over the studded give way line or enter the crossing if you cannot fully clear the crossing area.
- On the approach to all crossings mentioned in this brief always make good use of your mirrors so you know exactly what traffic is behind you just in case you have to brake suddenly.
- NEVER
wave people onto the crossing as this could be dangerous if another vehicle is approaching from the opposite direction and not seen the crossing.
- Try and make eye contact with anyone waiting but
NEVER
flash your headlight or even sound your horn!
- If there is an island in the middle of the zebra crossing and an extra set of belisha beacons it is classed as two crossings.
- Apart from the zebra crossings all other pedestrian crossings are light controlled and are push button operated.
One crossing
Two crossings
Pelican crossing (operated by pedestrians)
You will know you are approaching a pelican crossing because of its traffic light and the yellow push button box, on a pelican crossing the push button box is facing the pavement.
On the road on ether side of the crossing are white zig-zag lines and a solid white road markings line where you need to stop and wait when the red light comes on.
When the light is on red stop and wait for the pedestrian's to cross on a pelican crossing there is a flashing amber phase before the lights go to red. The amber phase means if pedestrian's are still crossing
WAIT
and if the crossing is clear you can proceed with caution.
Always plan ahead “If the lights are on green for some time and people are waiting at the crossing be prepared to slow down as they could turn to red at any time"
- You MUST always stop when the red light shows.
- The pelican crossing is the only crossing that has a flashing amber phase.
- When the amber light is flashing you MUST always give way to any pedestrians on the crossing.
- However if the amber light is flashing and there are no pedestrians on the crossing, you may proceed BUT with caution.
- After the lights start flashing watch out for people making a last minute dash and be prepared to let them cross but do not wave them onto the crossing.
- There are solid white lines zig-zag road markings (These are the same all the crossing).
- Again iron railings are usually used to stop pedestrians entering the road away from the crossing.
- The difference from pelican crossings is there is no flashing amber phase.
- The puffing crossing is User-Friendly and intelligent as they have infra-red cameras attached to the traffic lights to help elderly or disabled pedestrians cross the road.
- This cameras help by reducing the time drivers see the red phase so they are not waiting for any reason.
- The infra-red cameras are similar to those used to find earthquake victims trapped under rubble.
- The new “smart” system also uses heat sensors to tell if pedestrians are waiting on the pavement and can even override the red light shown to drivers if they've already got to the other side.
- Cyclists are ONLY allowed to ride across this crossing, all the other crossing cyclists are supposed to dismount and walk across otherwise they are breaking the law.
You will know you are approaching a Toucan crossing because of the LED traffic light set up it has two yellow boxes, one with the button you press to entre it and the other box that has the icons on the (red and green) Pedestrian and cyclist in it. On the road on ether side of the crossing are white zig-zag lines and a solid white road markings line where you need to stop and wait when the red light comes on.
When the traffic light are on red stop and wait for the pedestrian's and cyclist's to cross the Toucan crossing. The difference to the light sequence on the Toucan crossing is that there no amber flashing phase so you have to wait until the lights go from red, red/amber, green (just like a normal set of traffic lights. Once the lights go green you may proceed unless pedestrian's and cyclist's are still walking across the crossing just WAIT patiently and once the crossing is clear you can proceed with caution.
- You will know you’re approaching a Pegasus crossing because of its traffic light set up, yellow push button boxes, zig-zag/solid white road markings. (These are the same as the Puffing & Toucan crossing).
- From a drivers point of view the crossing works in the same way as ordinary traffic lights.
- For riders the push button box is higher for the horse rider to operate the crossing.
- Because this is placed on the traffic light the horse has to come very close to the road in order for the button to be pressed ... So be careful.
Two crossing's
The above crossing are classed as a single crossing and by law you have to stop for any pedestrian's, cyclist's or horse ride's on the crossing.
When there is a break in the road separating the road into two half's its classed as two crossings, on the zebra crossing the learner car would have to slow down and stop until the pedestrians have walked to the centre island, but the pink and yellow car can keep flowing until the pedestrian's have reached the centre island then they need to stop.
- You will see three red count down markers on the approach to the train line. they are a white sign with red count down markers on them, they are 100 years apart
- You may see the Audible amber flashing lights (like at a school crossing) you will see this on the approach to the train lines
- Before the train barriers come down a flash amber sign at the crossing will flash and you will hear an audible sound
- Then the train barriers will come down once the red flashing lights are on the sign the audible sound will stay on until the train has passed.
- The amber then red lights flashes alternately and means that the train is coming so you must give way and stop
- Stop behind the solid white road marking
- Wait until the red lights stop until you proceed your journey.
Question what do you think the proper procedure is if your car breaks down on a railway crossing?
Highway code 299
- Get your passengers out of your vehicle and to safety.
- If there is a railway telephone, use it to warn the signal operator.
DO NOT PUSH YOUR VEHICLE OF THE TRAIN LINES UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD IT IS SAFE TO DO SO
BY THE SIGNAL OPERATOR
- Fault identification.
- Fault analysis.
- Remedial action.
- Full talk through.
- Prompt.
- Independent.
- Feed back at the end of your lesson.
- Student’s responsibility of lesson and improvements.
- Plan for the next lesson.
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