Pedestrian-cyclist light, countdown to pedestrian crossings: new features of the highway code

Road signs are constantly evolving to improve the safety of users. In order to reduce the number of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities, which increased in 2021 compared to 2020, new road signs are included in the highway code to increase the safety of pedestrians and cyclists who are particularly vulnerable in the city and to secure traffic in tunnels.

Mixed pedestrian-cycle lamp

Infographie - null

Ouvrir l’image dans une nouvelle fenêtre

A mixed pedestrian-cycle light can now be used when a bicycle lane is parallel to a pedestrian crossing at the crossing of a lane. Currently tested in Strasbourg, this light incorporates a red or green bike visual like the 

red man

or

greenman

to indicate to cyclists that they must respect the pedestrian light. It makes it possible to clarify the rules governing the crossing of cyclists on this type of track.

Countdown to crosswalks

Infographie - null

Ouvrir l’image dans une nouvelle fenêtre

This settled pedestrian crossing sign indicates the waiting time before you can cross the road (pedestrian red) and the time remaining to complete the crossing (pedestrian green). Experienced in Strasbourg, Vannes and Neuilly-sur-Seine, this pedestrian time count has received a very good reception from users who, for the most part, consider it useful and safe and consider it to improve the comfort of crossing. It would also encourage many pedestrians to change their behavior.

New signs on safety distances in road tunnels

Infographie - null

Ouvrir l’image dans une nouvelle fenêtre

Two new safety distance signs are entering the tunnels. The signage is available in two versions: one with two cars and the other with a car and a truck. It invites drivers to identify safety distances by means of blue markers settled in the tunnel.

Experienced in the tunnel of Foix in Ariège, these signs encourage users to respect the safety distances in addition to the signs indicating the number of meters to be respected between 2 vehicles inside the tunnel.

Security Distance Memo

The stopping distance shall be equal to the sum of the distance traveled during the reaction time and the distance traveled during the braking time. The higher the speed of a vehicle, the greater the stopping distance will be. The reaction time varies from 1 to 2 seconds.

It is therefore essential to respect the safety distances. On the road, it is advisable to leave 2 seconds between your vehicle and the vehicle in front. To identify the right distance, a fixed landmark is identified along the road (a sign for example), and it takes 2 seconds between the moment when the vehicle that precedes us passes it, and the moment when our vehicle reaches it.

On the motorway, two lines of the emergency stop strip are left between the two vehicles.

In a tunnel, it's 2 blue lights between two vehicles, and up to 3 for heavy trucks in some tunnels.