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A zebra crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing, characterised by stripes (hence the term, named after the zebra) on the road, parallel to the flow of the traffic, alternatingly a light colour (usually white) and a dark one (black, or, if the road surface itself is of a dark color, just that). The stripes are 40 to 50 centimetres wide. The crossings were originally marked by beacons (see below) and parallel rows of studs, but stripes were soon added for the sake of visibility.

In the United Kingdom the crossing is marked with beacons on either side of the road, called Belisha beacons. These are black and white poles topped by flashing orange globes. They are named after Leslie Hore-Belisha, the Minister of Transport who introduced them in 1934. Pedestrians have right of way on this kind of crossing once they have put a foot upon it; cars then have to stop and give way, if they can do so safely.

This is in contrast to a similar crossing, known as a pelican crossing (pedestrian light controlled), which is marked with traffic lights for the vehicles and a green and red man lighting up to show pedestrians when to cross and when to stay. Pedestrians only have right of way here when the green man is lit. Pelican crossing were first introduced in the early 1970s and in many places have completely replaced zebra crossings.

In the United States and Canada, these are called "crosswalks", and pedestrians in the crosswalk will typically cross on being signalled from the opposite corner. When there is no signal present, pedestrians in the crosswalk have right of way and cars must stop. In place of the red and green men, US crosswalks have signs which read "WALK" or "DON'T WALK", or alternatively a walking man and a restraining hand respectively.

Other similar crossings in the UK include puffinA puffin crossing p edestrian u ser f riendly in terface) is a type of pedestrian crossing in use in the United Kingdom. It differs from a pelican crossing in that the lights controlling the pedestrians are on the near side of the road, rather than on the (pedestrian user-friendly interface), toucanA toucan crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing found in the UK that also allows bicycles to cross. Since two (both pedestrians and cyclists) can cross together, the name toucan was chosen. Toucan crossings are normally 4 metres (13 feet) wide, instead (two can cross — a joint pedestrian and bicycleBicycle" may also refer to Bicycle Playing Cards. A bicycle or bike is a pedal-driven land vehicle with two wheels arranged in line. First introduced in 19th century Europe, it evolved quickly into its current design. With over one billion in the world to crossing), and pegasusA Pegasus Crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing in the United Kingdom which has a special consideration for horse riders. They are named after the mythical winged horse, the Pegasus. Normally, they are in the form of a pelican crossing but simply have (for horses, usually outside race courses) crossings.

In the NetherlandsDutch redirects here. For other uses, see Dutch (disambiguation). The Netherlands ( Dutch: Nederland is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a constitutional monarchy. It is located in northwestern Europe and borders the North Sea, Belgium, pedestrians have right of way only if they are standing close to the zebra crossing on the side of the road.

In FinlandSuomen TasavaltaRepubliken Finland ( In Detail) ( In Detail) National motto: None Official languages Finnish and Swedish Capital Helsinki President Tarja Halonen Prime minister Matti Vanhanen Area Total % water Ranked 64th 337,030 km² 9. 4% Population Tot, the zebra crossing is also used by cyclistA Cyclist is a person who engages in cycling whether as a sport or rides a bicycle for recreation or transportation. The words bicyclist or biker are also used although "biker" is usually taken to mean someone who rides a motorbike. Related topics Bike trs.

A zebra crossing famously appears on the cover of The Beatles' Abbey Road album (see image). This is probably the world's most famous zebra crossing, and has even been incorporated into the current Abbey Road Studios logo. However, since the Abbey Road photo was taken, zigzag lines at the curb and in the centre of the road have been added to all zebra crossings to indicate the no-waiting zones on either side.