Mike's Observations

This is inspired partly by my thread about elevators. I'm going to post stupid things that I see people doing throughout the day. And while this thread was inspired by the elevators, it was prompted by something I saw three times today.

You know those buttons you press at crosswalks to let the thing know that you're there and want to cross?

Do those buttons make the lights change faster during regular pedestrian hours?

The reason I ask is because I see this all of the time: Some person comes to a busy intersection to cross the road. Say the lights on the north/south road just turned green and the pedestrian wishes to cross on the east/west road. The person will walk up and press the button. Perhaps a few seconds will pass and the person will press the button again. The button continues to be pressed, over and over again, until the light changes.

Keep in mind that I'm in the LA area, with that famous traffic everywhere.

Today, I saw this happen three times. The third time was this teenage girl who stood there with her arm out, pressing the button continually. She was talking to her friends and pressing the button.

So, do those buttons make the lights change faster?

Those buttons are how teh government gets yuor fingarprints.

Are you actually asking whether those buttons make the lights change faster? Im confused. No, do not make the light change faster if there are also cars going the same way. However, it will make it change faster if there is no cars, that way it knows somebody wants to cross. Same as the censors in the road.

Pressing it a bunch of times does nothing. However, its fun to do and little things like that make waiting easier. Sure, I could easily let that me annoy me, but why the fuck do I care?!

I remember reading somewhere that those buttons are a relic from the 70's and don't actually do anything anymore

Psx: thats only in some areas. Each municipiality is responsible for their function.

But I can attest, as a regular pedestrian around the UCLA area, that they definitely do influence the traffic light patterns. At some intersections.

If I am at a crosswalk (Strathmore & Gayley, for those familiar with the area), and I dont press the button, the lights will not change for an entire cycle. In other words, hmm...

Like, from the car's perspective, it is, green/yellow/red/green/etc.
At the reds, we can walk.

If nobody presses the button, then it skips that yellow/red and just keeps with the green. So its not that the button makes the lights change faster, it just keeps it on its normal cycle.

This system makes sense, actually, why give people the walk signal on a busy intersection if nobody is there?

But I also read an article in the Daily Bruin about how the city is gradually phasing out the use of these buttons. So in some parts of LA they work, in some parts they dont. It's really a crapshoot.

Here in WV they apparently think crossing the road is too hard. We have these big blue boxes with giant buttons on them, a little hand graphic showing you're supposed to push it. Push it, and it announces "wait x minutes to cross High street!" then it starts to slowly beep. x being however many minutes are left in the current cycle. When ready, it beeps vigorously and the little walking guy signal flashes. All lights go red, and only pedestrians can go.

Yes, crossing the street here is very difficult, especially since there's just oh so much traffic in West Virginia...

This is like seinfeld: the thread

I'm a rebel, I haven't paid attention to a traffic light, much less a crosswalk, in longer than I can remember. Not getting hit by cars is nice but actually getting where I'm going sometime this year has its appeal too. It helps that I don't tend to live in the most traffic-heavy section of the world, though.

James

has anyone ever been ticketed for jaywalking? I've never seen a cop waste time on that down here in Houston.

Yeah, in Chicago I knew a few people who got jaywalking tickets. In all cases it was when the cops would come out and direct traffic in the intersections during rush hour.

I always make jokes about this, too... ok, so you press the button, and wait for the light to change. Isn't that what I'm doing anyway??

So I guess the general consensus is that these things speed up the cycle, but only in certain areas =/

It's not worth it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by station82o

has anyone ever been ticketed for jaywalking? I've never seen a cop waste time on that down here in Houston.

---

i'm quite the jaywalker, but i haven't been caught for it yet. i did see it happen in new york city on more than one occasion. it was right after some crackdown, though.

i've also seen someone ticketed for it at rutgers.

I'd like to add that the jaywalking situation is out of control in Miami, and I nearly kill a minimum of 4 people a day.

It's that damn pedestrian right of way...

[/bill hicks]

Nobody jaywalks in Los Angeles.

I'm serious.

It's the one law everybody follows.

It's true about the jaywalking in California. I was in LA and Santa Monica back in October and NO ONE crossed against the light, even if there wasn't a cop or a car coming in sight. It was the most bizarre thing I've ever seen, being that I live in NY. I thought maybe the street was electrified when the light was red or something.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by diffusionx

But I can attest, as a regular pedestrian around the UCLA area, that they definitely do influence the traffic light patterns. At some intersections.

---

Right, the patterns. But does it actually make the light(s) change quicker? I'm serious, here.

Quote:

---

If I am at a crosswalk (Strathmore & Gayley, for those familiar with the area), and I dont press the button, the lights will not change for an entire cycle. In other words, hmm...

---

Yeah, at 3rd & Pine in Long Beach, it's totally automated. No matter the time of day, those pedestrians will always get the walk signal. However, next intersection over, 3rd & Pacific, if you don't push the button you don't get the light.

Quote:

---

If nobody presses the button, then it skips that yellow/red and just keeps with the green. So its not that the button makes the lights change faster, it just keeps it on its normal cycle.

---

Right. So I think, in conclusion, that my observation is of generally stupid behavior.

Quote:

---

Nobody jaywalks in Los Angeles.

I'm serious.

It's the one law everybody follows.

---

I used to not jaywalk when I first moved here.

If I'm in a hurry now, I'll walk. Otherwise, there's no rush so I don't see the point of doing something potentially dangerous.

But yeah, it's crazy that they always wait. You go to the Yale campus and there's traffic just because the students don't give two shits and will walk anywhere they please, whenever they want.

Stories about walking...

When I worked in downtown Milwaukee, I cross the street when I can. I only have so much time for lunch, avoiding the line for chinese food is worth getting hit in my opinion.

Here at campus we have a crosswalk going between campus and the dorms. Loads of kids cross there between classes. It backs up traffic in our tiny little town, and I love it. The students own that little peice of land, and we walk across it no matter who is coming down the street or how fast. Hey, crosswalk = we walk, you stop.

When I was in vegas I said fuck it and crossed a side street to the strip even though I had the flashing hand sign. My brother and friend didnt try it. I fucking got stuck in the middle of the street, with cars turning off and on the strip, totally surrounding me. It was a scary thing. Worst of all were those damn limo drivers that turn so widely. I thought for sure I was going to lose a toe.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by diffusionx

Nobody jaywalks in Los Angeles.

I'm serious.

It's the one law everybody follows.

---

People walk in LA? :eep:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Doc Holliday

People walk in LA? :eep:

---

It's funny you ask that because there are so many goddamned cripples in downtown Long Beach that you would be amazed. I just wanna hit the invalids with my car sometimes... scooting across the street on their fancy chairs.

I found this on the LJ image site and was going to post it in that thread but I figured it would fit in better here...

http://www.starwarsutah.com/events/d...tuesday-12.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Psx

I remember reading somewhere that those buttons are a relic from the 70's and don't actually do anything anymore

---

I find that rather easy to believe. They seem to do jackshit.

Traffic lights really should have a digital display on them showing the amount of time until the next change. Of course, this is too good an idea for the municipalities to follow through on.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by diffusionx

Nobody jaywalks in Los Angeles.

I'm serious.

It's the one law everybody follows.

---

Heh.

I actually did get a ticket when I was in 8th Grade. Of the eight or so people doing it, they just had to get me-the only black guy of the bunch.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mike

It's funny you ask that because there are so many goddamned cripples in downtown Long Beach that you would be amazed. I just wanna hit the invalids with my car sometimes... scooting across the street on their fancy chairs.

---

Classy.

I've seen people get hit trying to run across intersections when they shouldn't have. I usually wait unless the traffic is really really light.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gameoverDude

I find that rather easy to believe. They seem to do jackshit.

Traffic lights really should have a digital display on them showing the amount of time until the next change. Of course, this is too good an idea for the municipalities to follow through on.

---

Ive only seen two or three intersections that do this, and theyre at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, CA. But I really only thing its like this because of the massive amount of foot traffic.

In any case, it would be fiscally irresponsible for municipalities to replace every light with one of these. Most intersections just dont get the foot traffic to make it worthwhile.