Yellow lights for pedestrians in many cities in France - what do they mean?

Several large cities in France - including Nice, Nantes and Toulouse - have been authorised to continue testing a new yellow ‘traffic light’ system for pedestrians, in addition to the usual green and red symbols.

The trials, which had been due to end this year, are now set to last until 2027.

Read also: Trial of yellow pedestrian light on road crossings in Nantes 

What does the yellow light mean? 

The yellow light (‘yellow man’) comes on just before the light turns back to red (‘red man’ for ‘do not walk’).

The yellow light may flash or remain steady. It means: 

• Pedestrians who are already on the crossing should hurry, as the light is about to turn red

• Pedestrians who have not yet entered the crossing should not do so, and should wait until the next green light to cross the road

The aim is to clarify the transition phase between green and red and stop people attempting to cross very late in the cycle as the green light for vehicles to move is about to come on.

The ‘yellow man’ (the same man symbol as the ‘red light’, but lit up in yellow) aims to make the transition period much clearer, and give pedestrians an obvious symbol of whether it is still safe to cross.

The cities currently trialling this system are:

• Metz (Moselle)

• Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle)

• Nantes (Loire-Atlantique)

• Nice (Alpes-Maritimes)

• Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin) 

• Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). 

Each city has installed yellow lights at two locations, with some flashing and some non-flashing, to help trial which type works best. 

Versailles (Yvelines) had been taking part in the trial, but withdrew from the project this year as the installation cost was deemed too high. 

Report to help decide roll out

Public risk and transport agency Centre d'études et d'expertise sur les risques, l'environnement, la mobilité et l'aménagement (CEREMA) will use the trial to study pedestrian behaviour, in particular using cameras installed above the traffic lights.

At the end of the trial period, it will conclude its evaluation and publish a final report on the results, which will consider the implications on road safety and traffic.

The report will then be sent to the road safety agency la Sécurité Routière, and the road mobility director (mobilités routières).

The agencies will then determine if the yellow pedestrian light system will be made permanent and rolled out nationwide.

“We want to observe the interactions between these thousands of pedestrians and motorists and see if the number of dangerous situations is reduced with this experimental traffic light,” said Nicolas Speiss, director of transport safety and traffic projects at CEREMA, to France 3 Grand Est.

Yellow man criticism

Some pedestrian groups have come out against the system.

“A flashing yellow light can cause a sense of urgency among some pedestrians, who may start running, thereby increasing the risk of accidents,” said Patrick Eade, Nantes representative of lobby group 60 millions de piétons, to Presse Océan.

Similarly, radio host Joëlle Dago-Serry was critical of the system, speaking on RMC’s Les Grandes Gueules programme.

“We have understood traffic lights since we were old enough to understand the concept,” she said. “[And now] to show innovation, they are adding something that makes life more complicated. How does that change our behaviour?” 

However, also on the show, regular show host Alain Marschall said that pedestrians were more distracted “with headphones and mobile phones” these days, and suggested that the system could help.

Countdown system

The yellow light system is similar to another system rolled out in some municipalities in France: a countdown timer that appears just before the pedestrian light turns red. Local authorities have had permission to install these since summer 2022. 

These also show pedestrians how long they still have to cross safely, but they are typically only installed in large cities and/or very busy crossings.