What is the purpose of crosswalk buttons?

Question

Do they have any effect whatsoever on traffic lights or are they just a placebo to keep people busy while they're waiting to cross the street?

Answer 1

At some lights, the ped X-ing sign doesn't turn green unless the button was pressed BEFORE the light changed.  At others, if the light is green but the ped light is red, pressing the button will turn the ped light green.  At some places, it seems to change the timing of the light (i.e., give you more time to cross).

And at others, it seems to have no effect at all.

Answer 2

It gives the pedestrians something to do while waiting for the light to change...

Answer 3

It appears that most of them are bunco. A car has to hit the sensor for them to work.

Answer 4

They are there just to give you something to do while you wait for the light to change.

Basically, to make you feel like your in control, when you really aren't.

Answer 5

To give you a feeling of control.

This (even though it's NY) says it best:  http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.ht...

Then again, in at least one place in AZ they do something.

http://kww.autobloggreen.com/2007/11/26/...

Answer 6

keep people busy

that stuff dont work

i have on in the corner of my job and it never works'

and its brand new

what a waste of tax dollars

Answer 7

Basically the idea is to let the traffic light controls know there is a pedestrian waiting.

Sometimes, this might be the only way to trip the light other times it's used to lengthen the cycle to allow more time for a pedestrian to cross.

There is a light on the corner of the street I live on and the main road that runs through the area.  It's also next to a school.  The light will not change to green for the residential street unless a car pulls up or the button is pushed.  If the button isn't pushed and a car pulls up the walk signal will not come on when the light changes and the cycle is much shorter.  On school days, there is a crossing guard present who is constantly hitting the button.  The light cycles are longer as the walk signal is then in use.

Yes, it's true that sometimes these buttons don't work at all.  Hey, stuff breaks, you know?  At least you hopefully understand the intent.

Answer 8

It all depends on the intersection.  Each signalized intersection will have a control box (usually sits on one of the corners), looks like any other utility cabinet.  These cabinets come in different configurations, but the idea is that there is a switch inside the cabinet for each of the different cycles that the lights (traffic & crosswalk) go through.  To add crosswalk buttons, there must be space available in the control box to add switches for the cross walk functions.  So, whether or not they work is dependant upon the existence of switches in the control box, for that particular intersection.

Answer 9

I've seen intersections where not only does the crosswalk button not work, the pedestrian signal NEVER changes from red.  

But some of them do work.  It really varies from city to city, and sometimes from intersection to intersection.

Answer 10

It depends on the light.  Some lights in my area don't seem to be affected at all, others change faster if the button is pushed, and some won't show a "Walk" light unless the button is pushed.

Answer 11

Pushing the crosswalk button doesn’t do diddly squat, at least not in New York City.

More than 2,500 of the 3,250 walk buttons that still exist in New York function only as mechanical placebos.

Any benefit from them is ONLY IMAGINED.

This should make you wonder - do the buttons really work in your city?

Answer 12

it helps to stop the traffic so you can be able to cross the road

Answer 13

it is used for childrens safety and if u fell under it you will fell the thing moving when it turns green this is telling the blind/ elderly people to cross the road..

Answer 14

Pushing the button changes the corresponding traffic light from green to yellow.  

This allows on-coming traffic to increase their speed, providing  a clean kill of pedestrians venturing into the road.