Puffin crossing

Puffin Crossing - safer for pedestrians, better for drivers Puffin crossings make crossing the road easier and safer. They have the Red/ Green Man signals on the same side of the road as you are waiting to cross, allowing you to watch these signals and traffic at the same time. On other types of crossings, Red/ Green Man signals are normally on the other side of the road.

Stop

Before you cross the road at a Puffin crossing, look at the Red/ Green Man box. It will be on your side of the road, usually to your right as you face the road.

The red and green man indicators used on a puffin crossing

Wait

if the Green Man is showing, make sure the traffic has stopped in both directions before crossing the road
if the Red Man is showing, do not cross the road
push the button on the Red/ Green Man box
make sure the indicator beside the button lights up. The indicator stays lit until the box shows the Green Man
if the indicator light goes out, push the button again and wait for the Green Man

Cross

When the Green Man shows and the traffic has stopped in both directions, cross the road with care.

Don’t worry if you can’t see the Red/ Green Man signals when crossing. The traffic lights will stay red until you reach the other side of the road, allowing you to cross the road in safety.

How Puffin crossings work

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 you are waiting to cross. This is why it is important to stand where you can clearly see the Red/ Green Man box.

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

You can also see how the crossings work by watching the video at the following link:

Puffin crossings video

Benefits of Puffin crossings

Safer for pedestrians

the sensors that see you at a Puffin crossing also control the traffic lights making sure you have enough time to cross the road safely
because there is no flashing traffic light sequence, drivers can no longer start to move until you have finished crossing
you can see the Red/ Green Man box and watch traffic approaching at the same time
partially-sighted pedestrians can see the Red/ Green Man signals more easily than a signal on the other side of the road

Better for drivers

traffic lights change to green as soon as the crossing is clear, so drivers will no longer be stopped unnecessarily if there are no pedestrians on the road
traffic won’t be stopped if pedestrians push the button and then cross the road before the traffic lights change to red, or if they push the button, then change their mind and walk away from the crossing
look out for more and more Puffin crossings on our streets and roads,. they all look the same and they all work in the same way, improving safety while reducing delays

Any queries

If you have any queries about the operation of a Puffin crossing please contact your local office at:

Northern Division
County Hall Castlerock Road Coleraine BT51 3HS Telephone: 0300 200 7891 Fax: 028 7034 1430 Email: roads.northern@drdni.gov.uk
1 Crescent Road Londonderry BT47 2NQ Telephone: 028 7132 1600
County Hall 182 Galgorm Road Ballymena BT42 1QG Telephone: 028 2565 3333

Western Division
County Hall Drumragh Avenue Omagh BT79 7AF Telephone: 0300 200 7894 Fax: 028 8225 4010 Email: roads.western@drdni.gov.uk

Southern Division
Marlborough House Central Way Craigavon BT64 1AD Telephone: 0300 200 7892 Fax: 028 3834 1867 Email: roads.southern@drdni.gov.uk
Rathkeltair House Market Street Downpatrick BT30 6AJ Telephone: 028 4461 8000