There are plenty of intersections where a walk signal comes on automatically, why do some intersections require a button push to initiate the walk signal when it doesn’t seem to make a difference in light timing or duration?
In: Engineering
Some places, it definitely does matter. I can think of a few pedestrian crossings near me that don’t change unless the button is pressed.
Some places, it matters but only some of the time. If it’s a busy junction, the lights might have a rush hour setting that skips the pedestrian crossing unless the button is pressed, but the rest of the time it gets included as part of the cycle.
And in some places (like city centres), the button controls the pedestrians. Studies have shown people will wait longer for the green man (WALK sign, white man, whatever) before they just walk into traffic if they (or someone else) can press a button. So, if you’ve got a busy junction that needs precise timing to reduce congestion but pedestrians keep screwing it up by ambling into the road, just stick in a placebo button that illuminates a “Wait” sign.
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