Pedestrian signals — California Permit Test

A WALK signal or walking person tells a pedestrian they may cross the street.

It is the only signal a person on foot is given, so drivers have to know what it is telling them.

WALK or Walking Person You may cross the street.

A DON’T WALK signal or raised hand tells a pedestrian they may not cross the street.

The traffic is about to be let through, and a person stepping off now is in the middle of it.

DON’T WALK or Raised Hand You may not cross the street.

A flashing DON’T WALK or flashing raised hand means do not start crossing, and drivers must still yield to pedestrians already in the crosswalk.

Somebody halfway across cannot go back, so the flashing hand changes nothing for the driver.

Do not start crossing the street. The traffic signal light is about to change.

Numbers on a pedestrian signal count down the seconds left for crossing the street.

Watching the count tells a driver how long the crossing traffic still has.

The numbers count down the seconds left for crossing the street.

Diagonal crossings are crisscross and diagonal crosswalks letting pedestrians cross the intersection in any direction at the same time.

For that part of the cycle the whole intersection belongs to people on foot.

These are crisscross and diagonal crosswalks that allow pedestrians to cross the intersection in any direction at the same time.

Sounds such as beeping, chirping or verbal messages help blind or visually impaired pedestrians cross the street.

Somebody who cannot see the signal is crossing on what they hear, including whether you are moving.

Sounds such as beeping, chirping, or verbal messages help blind or visually impaired pedestrians cross the street.

A pedestrian push button is used to activate the WALK or walking person signal.

The crossing may not come up at all until somebody has pressed it.

This is used to activate the WALK or Walking Person signal.

Where there are no pedestrian signals, obey the vehicle traffic signals.

Without a signal of their own, people on foot go when the traffic beside them goes.

If there are no pedestrian signals, obey the vehicle traffic signals.

What does a walking person signal tell a pedestrian?

They may cross the street. It is the only signal a person on foot is given, so drivers have to know what it is telling them. California Driver’s Handbook, p.35: “WALK or Walking Person You may cross the street.”