Editing Zebra crossing (section)

{{Short description|Type of pedestrian crossing}}
{{Globalize|article|the west|date=August 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2023}}
[[File:Abbey Road Zebra.jpg|thumb|A zebra crossing with [[belisha beacon]]s in Abbey Road, London. This crossing was featured on the cover of the album ''[[Abbey Road]]'' by [[The Beatles]].]]
[[File:Zebra Cross di Jalan Asia Afrika.jpg|thumb|upright|A [[traffic light]]-controlled zebra crossing with [[tactile paving]] in [[Bandung]], [[Indonesia]]]]
[[File:Calles verdes y limpias de la Ciudad de Guatemala - CDGT.jpg|thumb|A zebra crossing painted green in [[Guatemala]] to indicate usability by cyclists]]

A '''zebra crossing''' ([[British English]]) or a '''marked crosswalk''' ([[American English]]) is a [[pedestrian crossing]] marked with white stripes (zebra markings).<ref>{{Cite web|title=ZEBRA CROSSING {{!}} Meaning & Definition for UK English {{!}} Lexico.com|url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/zebra_crossing|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416193621/https://www.lexico.com/definition/zebra_crossing|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 16, 2021|access-date=2022-01-02|website=Lexico Dictionaries {{!}} English|language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last1=Eschner|first1=Kat|title=A Short History of the Crosswalk|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/short-history-crosswalk-180965339/|access-date=2022-01-02|website=Smithsonian Magazine|language=en}}</ref> Since then, zebra markings have come to be used internationally to denote pedestrian crossings, though many have been replaced by various types of signalised crossing due to safety concerns.<ref>{{cite news|title=End of the road for the zebra?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/oct/31/end-for-zebra-crossings|access-date=1 December 2021|website=The Guardian|date=31 October 2011 |last1=Henley |first1=Jon }}</ref>

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]].<ref name=":0"/> 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 beacon|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]].