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
“when it doesn’t seem to make a difference ”
I think you’d first have to first get from “doesn’t seem to” to “doesn’t actually”…?
The ones near me I’d guess have a particular place in their cycle where they’ll allow folks to cross. When you press the button, it is just telling the signals to give pedestrians time to cross when that point is hit next. If the button isn’t hit, the cycle would just continue normally.
If you hit the button, 3 seconds before that point in the cycle, then it will feel like you were given some amount of preferred treatment as a pedestrian. if you hit it 3 seconds after, then you are waiting for virtually the entire cycle and it’ll feel like the traffic light is punishing you for not driving a car.
Latest Answers