Crossing the road

Pedestrian crossings improve safety and encourage people to walk.

Request a new pedestrian crossing

To request a new pedestrian crossing, contact customer services.

We will:

• look at each request individually and visit the area
• check if it meets the national criteria – this includes the number of people crossing and the amount of traffic
• take into account the number of injuries on the road
• note the local features nearby – for example, hospitals, schools and shops

Traffic islands (pedestrian refuges)

A traffic island may be installed if a pedestrian crossing (for example, a pelican, puffin or zebra crossing) cannot be placed.

Traffic islands help by:

• narrowing the road
• giving pedestrians a safe place to wait in the middle of the road when they're crossing

Facilities for disabled people

Tactile paving is used to help people with impaired vision at new zebra crossings, pelican crossings and many ramped crossing points.

Many single pelican crossings have audible signals and a green man signal to indicate when it's safe to cross.

Some two-stage pelican crossings and junction signals have tactile push-buttons for people who are visually impaired.