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.

Most Puffin crossings have sensors on top of the traffic lights, although some may be buried in the ground in the waiting area. The sensors can spot if pedestrians are waiting to cross.

Other sensors can spot if pedestrians are already crossing the road. Drivers waiting at the Puffin crossing will only be allowed to continue once they have finished crossing the road.[1]

[1] https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/puffin-crossing

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.

After a request to cross (by button press) a kerb side detector monitors the pedestrian's presence at the crossing. Should the pedestrian cross prematurely, walk away from the crossing, or wait outside the detection area, the pedestrian's request to cross could be automatically cancelled. This is so traffic is not halted unnecessarily. An on-crossing detector ensures that the signal for vehicles remains red until the pedestrians have finished crossing (within practical limits). Unlike the pelican crossing, there is no transitional "flashing" phase.

The pedestrian phase will start at the moment all three of these conditions are fulfilled:

The "Maximum Traffic Green Timer" is started either when the pedestrian push button is pressed or when the traffic signals first turn green after the previous pedestrian phase. The latter arrangement is termed the "pre-timed Maximum Facility".

Concerns have been expressed that Puffin crossings may be less safe than Pelican crossings due the nearside indicator not being visible while crossing, and being at a different focal length, reducing traffic awareness. However, a 2008 study commissioned by the DfT found that Puffins were safer than Pelican crossings with fewer pedestrian accidents and fewer involving cars, despite confusing pedestrians. Transport for London decided to stop installing Puffins in 2014, as they prefer the far side indicators. Birmingham Council also dislike the low level indicators at busy city centre crossings.

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Wikipedia