traffic light for people, cars coming from the other direction

[curiousmarcus]

Child: Why is there a green man over there?

Parent: That is a traffic light for people. It's green because it's saying you can cross the street. When it's red, it means you should not cross the street because there might be cars coming from the other direction.

Do you call it a traffic light for people?

Is it correct to say that there might be cars coming from the other direction? I want to say something like there are cars coming from the perpendicular direction. But I feel it's not something one would say in a casual conversation.

 

[Tarheel]

I've never said that, but "a traffic light for people" is a good way to describe that. As for cars, we would say there might be cars coming. When the light is red for us it's green for them.

 

[Raymott]

They are crossing lights.
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=...mbnRAhWCWbwKHWxXArQQ_AUICCgB&biw=1920&bih=950

 

[emsr2d2]

They're the lights on a pedestrian crossing. I've never heard them called "traffic lights for people" but it's a good way to describe them to small children. Note that we don't cross when the red man is showing because there might be traffic coming from "both directions" (unless it's a one-way street), not from "the other direction".