What does the Pedestrian sign mean?
The Pedestrian sign (MUTCD W11-2) is a warning sign under the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the national standard the states build from. Expect pedestrians in the roadway at or close to this point, with no signal anywhere to hold you for them.
Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2C, Table 2C-1, checked 2026-09-09.
What shape and color is the Pedestrian sign?
| MUTCD code | W11-2 |
|---|---|
| Group | Warning signs |
| Shape | Diamond |
| Color | Yellow or fluorescent yellow-green background, black symbol and border |
What a diamond means. A warning. It tells you what the road does next and obliges you to do nothing in particular, which is the distinction test writers probe most often.
What fluorescent yellow-green means. Pedestrian, bicycle and school warnings. Reserved so those warnings cannot be mistaken for an ordinary hazard.
Warning signs. A diamond reports a condition and orders nothing. What you do about it is left to you, and that gap between a report and an order is what test writers keep probing.
What is the Pedestrian sign often mistaken for?
The School sign (S1-1), which is a five-sided pentagon and always fluorescent yellow-green. W11-2 is a diamond and may be either color. Also No Pedestrian Crossing (R9-3), which has the same figure inside a red circle and slash.
|  |  |
|---|---|---|
| GroupWarning signs | GroupSchool zone signs | GroupRegulatory signs |
| ShapeDiamond | ShapePentagon with the point up | ShapeSquare (symbol) or vertical rectangle (word message) |
| ColorYellow or fluorescent yellow-green background, black symbol and border | ColorFluorescent yellow-green background, black legend and border | ColorWhite background, red circle and slash over a black walking pedestrian |
| What it meansExpect pedestrians in the roadway at or close to this point, with no signal anywhere to hold you for them. | What it meansWarns that a school, school zone or school crossing is at or near this point. | What it meansCrossing on foot is prohibited here, so anyone walking has to carry on to the next legal crossing point. |
Which signs get mistaken for the Pedestrian sign?
In-Street Pedestrian CrossingR1-6The pedestrian warning sign (W11-2), which is a yellow or fluorescent yellow-green diamond and carries no legal duty of its own. R1-6 does.
What does the permit test ask about the Pedestrian sign?
This question is from the practice bank, with the answer marked.
A fluorescent yellow-green sign is used for:
- A.Roadwork
- B.Pedestrian, bicycle and school warnings(correct answer)
- C.Exit numbers
- D.Toll booths
Why: That distinctive yellow-green was introduced specifically for vulnerable road user warnings, so it stands apart from ordinary yellow warnings.
Source: Federal MUTCD, 11th Edition (FHWA)
What are the other warning signs?
All 55 warning signs on one page, or every US road sign by shape and color.
Test yourself on this sign and the rest of the set with a road signs practice test for Florida, Texas or California.
The artwork is the federal design itself, which the manual dedicates to the public domain in MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 1, Section 1D.06, checked 2026-09-09. The Interstate Shield, the 511 pictograph and the National Scenic Byway graphic are named exceptions and are not reproduced anywhere on this site.
Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 11th Edition. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Federal Highway Administration or any state agency.