A
toucan crossing is a type of
pedestrian crossing. It is a British development of the
pelican crossing in which a small cone is fitted beneath the pedestrian-operated buttons fixed at either side of a
road. When the "green man" displays are lit indicating that pedestrians have the
right-of-way over traffic held at red lights, these cones rotate. This provides an indication to pedestrians incapable of seeing the lights that a crossing is possible with a degree of safety. The term Toucan is derived from the adjective touch-sensitive. These crossings should be fitted with an approved tactile surfacing pattern laid flush within the adjacent footways (US: sidewalks), so that
visually impaired pedestrians can locate the control box and cone device and know when their crossing manoeuvre has been accomplished. These crossings can greatly increase the mobility of visually impaired travellers but are relatively rare.
