Learn about pedestrian-activated crosswalks in Surrey, and how to request a new crosswalk signal.

Crosswalk signals around the City help improve the mobility and safety of pedestrians in Surrey.

Call 604-591-4338 to report a malfunctioning pedestrian signal.

To request a new pedestrian signal installation, contact Surrey's Traffic Operations at traffic@Surrey.ca or 604-591-4338.

Types of Crosswalk Signals

In Surrey, vehicles and pedestrians control intersections and indication times at full traffic signals. Vehicles are automatically detected to change a traffic signal, whereas pedestrians push a button to change a traffic signal.

You'll also see one of three crosswalk signals:

  1. The Walking Man indicates you can begin to cross the road.
  2. The Flashing Stop Hand means you should not begin to cross the road, because there isn't enough time left to cross the entire crosswalk. But, if you're already in the crosswalk, you can continue to cross.
  3. The Solid Stop Hand signifies you should not be in the crosswalk, as vehicles may be crossing paths.

Countdown Timers at Crosswalks

Countdown timers on crosswalk signals show you how much longer you have to cross a street.

Pedestrian clearance times are one of the most important considerations in a signal timing plan. We also use provincial guidelines as outlined in the Pedestrian Crossing Control Manual to determine how long each of the three pedestrian indications displays for.

Flashing Green Lights

Pedestrian signals, or half signals, are flashing green lights at an intersection or independent crosswalk. Pedestrians have complete control of these pedestrian signals.

Vehicles have the right-of-way on a street with a flashing green indication. But, when you push the push button, the traffic light will change to red. Then, the Walking Man and Flashing Stop Hand will appear, giving you permission to cross. The side street is always stop-controlled, and vehicles must yield the right-of-way to any conflicting traffic.

You may have to wait longer for the light to change in high traffic volume areas. This is because we coordinate many pedestrian signals with adjacent traffic signals, to minimize stops and reduce vehicle delays in high traffic volume corridors. We do this through the Traffic Management Centre. The wait time at these coordinated traffic signals depends on when you push the button during the signal cycle, and could range from a few seconds to more than a minute.

Audible Crosswalk Signals

Audible pedestrian devices make the pedestrian indications into audible sounds. We install these audible pedestrian devices at selected traffic signals frequented by visually impaired persons.

To activate the audible signal, you must push the pushbutton. The audible signals in Surrey use an internationally recognized standard of bird sounds:

  • a cuckoo sound when the north-south walk light is active, and
  • a chirp-chirp sound when the east-west walk light is active.

Learn more about pedestrian crosswalk safety through ICBC.

Contact Surrey's Traffic Operations at traffic@Surrey.ca or 604-591-4338 for more information on crosswalk signals in Surrey.