A Pegasus crossing is a type of signalised pedestrian crossing

Pedestrian crossing

A pedestrian crossing or crosswalk is a designated point on a road at which some means are employed to assist pedestrians wishing to cross. They are designed to keep pedestrians together where they can be seen by motorists, and where they can cross most safely across the flow of vehicular traffic...

 with special consideration for horse

Horse

The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...

 riders. This type of crossing is nicknamed after the mythical winged horse, Pegasus

Pegasus

Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...

. They are primarily used in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

.

At a minimum, these crossings are in the form of a pelican crossing

Pelican crossing

A Pelican crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing featuring a pair of poles each with a standard set of traffic lights facing oncoming traffic, a push button and two illuminated, coloured men facing the pedestrian from across the road - a red, stationary man to indicate that it is not safe to...

 but simply have two control panels, one at the normal height for pedestrians or dismounted riders, and one two metres above the ground for the use of mounted riders, and the "green man" (walk) and "red man" (stop) pictogram

Pictogram

A pictograph, also called pictogram or pictogramme is an ideogram that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Pictographs are often used in writing and graphic systems in which the characters are to considerable extent pictorial in appearance.Pictography is a...

s are replaced with horses.

Additional features, to improve safety, include a wooden fence or other barrier and a wider crossing so that the horses are farther away from cars than normal. If the crossing is to be used by pedestrians and cyclists too, then a parallel, separate toucan crossing

Toucan crossing

A toucan crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing found in the United Kingdom that also allows bicycles to be ridden across. Since two-can, both pedestrians and cyclists, cross together, the name toucan was chosen....

 may be placed next to the Pegasus crossing.

A66 installation and removal

After the upgrading of the A66

A66 road

The A66 is a major road in northern England which in part follows the course of the Roman road from Scotch Corner to Penrith. It runs from east of Middlesbrough in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire to Workington in Cumbria...

 between Greta Bridge

Greta Bridge

Greta Bridge is a village on the River Greta in County Durham, England.-Geography and administration:Greta Bridge lies in the Pennine hills near to Barnard Castle...

 and Scotch Corner

Scotch Corner

Scotch Corner is an important junction of the A1 and A66 trunk roads near Richmond, North Yorkshire, England. It has been described as "the modern gateway to Cumbria, the North East and Scotland".-Geography:...

 was completed in 2007, 2 Pegasus crossings were installed on the section of dual carriage-way immediately to the west of Scotch Corner. These crossings included raised buttons for horse riders, safety fences and lights to control the traffic which consisted of only 2 orange lights. These crossings never became operational and with the exception of the safety fences have now been removed.

See also

• Traffic light control and coordination
  Traffic light control and coordination
  The normal function of traffic lights requires sophisticated control and coordination to ensure that traffic moves as smoothly and safely as possible and that pedestrians are protected when they cross the roads...
  
  
• Pelican crossing
  Pelican crossing
  A Pelican crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing featuring a pair of poles each with a standard set of traffic lights facing oncoming traffic, a push button and two illuminated, coloured men facing the pedestrian from across the road - a red, stationary man to indicate that it is not safe to...
  
  
• Toucan crossing
  Toucan crossing
  A toucan crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing found in the United Kingdom that also allows bicycles to be ridden across. Since two-can, both pedestrians and cyclists, cross together, the name toucan was chosen....
  
  
• Zebra crossing
  Zebra crossing
  A zebra crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing used in many places around the world. Its distinguishing feature is alternating dark and light stripes on the road surface, from which it derives its name. A zebra crossing typically gives extra rights of way to pedestrians.The use of zebra...
  
  

External links

• British Horse Society