Puffin crossing

A pedestrian user friendly intelligent crossing (puffin crossing) is a type of pedestrian crossing in use in the United Kingdom.

The design is distinct in that the lights controlling the pedestrians are on the near side of the road, rather than on the opposite side as in the older pelican crossing it replaces. The system also utilises sensors which detect the presence of pedestrians waiting at the crossing, and as they are crossing the road.

Function

Unlike the older pelican crossing designs, where the pedestrian signal lights are mounted on the opposite side of the road, the puffin crossing has them mounted at the near road side, set diagonally to the road edge. This allows the pedestrian to monitor passing traffic while waiting for the signal to cross. A second reason for the design is that having the lights closer to the user assists visually impaired people who could have difficulty viewing the signal from across the carriageway.

Some push-button units (the lower box in the picture) are also fitted with a tactile knob under the unit which rotates when the user may cross. This feature is to assist with visually impaired people struggling to see the light change.