Look sign at a rail crossing: what it means
The LOOK sign at a pathway or sidewalk rail crossing tells people walking or riding to look both ways before crossing the tracks.
What does the LOOK sign mean?
MUTCD Section 8E.03 says the LOOK (R15-8) sign may be used at a pathway or sidewalk grade crossing to tell users to look in both directions before crossing the tracks.
Quick quiz
What does the sign at the top of this page mean?
- Pedestrians: look both ways for trains.
- A railroad crossing: yield to trains.
- The crossing has more than one track.
Show answer
A. Pedestrians: look both ways for trains. It tells pathway and sidewalk users to look both ways before crossing (MUTCD Section 8E.03). Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 8, Traffic Control for Railroad and Light Rail Transit Grade Crossings: Section 8E.03, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA
Where will you see it?
At sidewalk and trail crossings of railroad and light rail tracks.
What should you do?
If you are on foot or on a bike, stop, look both ways and listen before crossing.
What do people get wrong?
Crossing right after one train passes. Another may come on a second track.
Common questions
Is this sign for drivers?
It is mainly for people on sidewalks and pathways.
Why both ways?
Trains can come from either direction, and on more than one track.
Compare with
Railroad crossbuck signA railroad crossing: yield to trains.
Number of tracks plaqueThe crossing has more than one track.
Want to test someone else? Play a road-sign quiz with friends and family.
Sources
Checked on 4 November 2026 against the MUTCD 11th Edition (FHWA), Section 8E.03.
- MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 8, Traffic Control for Railroad and Light Rail Transit Grade Crossings: Section 8E.03, FHWA
- MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA. FHWA lists the current version as the 11th Edition with Revision 1, dated December 2025
Sign pictures are our own simplified drawings of the MUTCD designs, which are in the public domain (MUTCD Section 1D.06). Sources and image credits.