Zebra crossing

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A zebra crossing (British English) or a marked crosswalk (American English) is a pedestrian crossing marked with white stripes (zebra markings).^[1] Normally, pedestrians are afforded precedence over vehicular traffic, although the significance of the markings may vary by jurisdiction.

The first zebra crossing in the world was installed in Slough, United Kingdom, in 1951 to enhance pedestrian safety at new and already existing crossing points.^[2] Since then, zebra markings have come to be used internationally to denote pedestrian crossings, though many have been replaced by various types of signalised crossing due to safety concerns.^[3]

Terminology and usage of the markings varies by country. In the UK and other Commonwealth countries, they are usually called zebra crossings, as the stripes resemble the striped coat of a zebra.^[2] In the UK and some other European countries, zebra markings are only found at unsignalised, standalone crossings without traffic signals and must be accompanied with upright belisha beacons; in this context, the striped markings indicate absolute priority for pedestrians. In North America and in much of Continental Europe, they can be found at any type of crossing; in this context, zebra markings may or may not indicate pedestrian priority, and this priority may be dependent on traffic signals.