Pedestrian crossing safety

If you’re walking

• Always cross at pedestrian crosswalks or crossovers. Avoid crossing anywhere else.
• Always press the pedestrian pushbutton. Pressing this button will activate the ‘Walk’ signal and give you more time to cross.
• Stop, look, and listen before crossing, even when it’s your turn to cross.
• Where possible, make eye contact with drivers to ensure they see you before you proceed.
• Avoid distractions like texting, cellphones, and headphones when crossing the street.
• Once ‘Don’t Walk’ hand signal starts flashing, you can finish crossing, but don’t begin to cross. Wait for the next ‘Walk’ signal.
• Pedestrians can be hard to see at night, dawn, and dusk. When walking, wear bright clothing or reflective materials so others can see you.

If you’re cycling

• If the intersection has bicycle signals, look for a cyclist pushbutton. If there’s a button, push it and wait until the bicycle signal is green.
• Ride carefully across the intersection within a crossride. Watch for left- and right-turning vehicles to make sure that they see you and are yielding.
• Ride at a speed that lets you stop safely when necessary.
• Make sure that all of your bicycle lights and reflectors are working properly.

If you’re driving:

• Look for pedestrians and cyclists, especially when approaching an intersection.
• Slow down and be ready to stop when turning or otherwise entering a crosswalk.
• It’s harder to see pedestrians when it’s dark. Be extra cautious in the early morning and at night.
• Give the road your full attention. Avoid distractions like texting, cellphones, and headphones while driving.
• Drive within the posted speed limits and adjust your speed in keeping with the weather and traffic conditions.
• Be more cautious near transit stops and stations. The high pedestrian activity in these locations can be unpredictable.

Stay safe crossing roads by using crossovers and following walk signals at intersections.

Pedestrian crossovers are typically located:

• In the middle of a block.
• At intersections without traffic lights.
• At right turn lane channels, where pedestrians cross to an island before pushing the pedestrian push button.

Peel has built pedestrian crossovers at:

• Caledon East on Old Church Road.
• Palgrave on Regional Road 50.
• Along the Caledon Trailway at Winston Churchill Boulevard (near Terra Cotta), and at Olde Base Line Road (just west of Inglewood).

Crossovers are also being integrated at the right-turn channels of intersections maintained by Peel Region.

Look for pedestrian push buttons. Pushing the button is important because it makes the walk signal appear and gives you more time to cross. If there is no push button, the pedestrian signal will display automatically.

Sometimes you need to wait an entire light cycle before the walk signal is displayed.

When the walk signal appears, make eye contact with drivers to ensure they see you. Always check that it is safe to cross the road before crossing.

Peel Region is making infrastructure changes to improve pedestrian safety as part of the Vision Zero Road Safety Strategic Plan.

• Building pedestrian crossovers to create more locations for pedestrians to cross with the right-of-way.
• Adding pedestrian crossovers to right turn channels, giving pedestrians the right-of-way to cross to the island.
• Reducing crossing distances by bumping out (extending) curbs and reducing lane widths.
• Adding leading pedestrian intervals that give pedestrians the ‘Walk’ signal before drivers get a green light. The goal of this strategy is to make pedestrians more visible to drivers turning left and right.