Who has priority at a zebra crossing in Northern Ireland?

At a zebra crossing, drivers must give way once a pedestrian has moved onto the crossing.

Pedestrians are advised to wait until traffic has stopped before crossing, but the legal duty on drivers applies when someone is on the zebra crossing.

This is a vulnerable-road-user question, so the Northern Ireland Highway Code expects drivers to plan for people who may be harder to see, slower to react or more easily injured. The Code repeatedly stresses lower speed, wider clearance, observation and patience around pedestrians, cyclists, children and horse riders rather than treating priority as a licence to press on.

For this exact question — “Who has priority at a zebra crossing in Northern Ireland?” — the practical point is: Slow on approach, watch both sides and do not overtake a vehicle that has stopped at the crossing. The answer should be applied to the actual signs, conditions, licence wording or parking rules in force at the time, because temporary restrictions and individual DVA decisions can change the ordinary position.