New York crosswalk buttons just placebos
This story pains me. I absolutely HATE sitting at a red light when there are no cars coming. I’m the idiot slowly rolling back and forth hoping that I might somehow trip some sort of sensor thereby causing the light to change. I’m too cynical to ever admit that I think stuff like that makes a difference, but I try anyway because in my heart of hearts I hope it does.
So when I read that NY (and likely most other places) has long ago turned off any functionality behind the crosswalk buttons, it hurts. Even though I’ve long believed they made no difference, it hurts to know that you have no power. You’re at the whim of whatever algorithm the light has been programmed to obey.
Sadly, I bet even if there was a sign above every one that told you the button was non-functional people would push it anyway. I’m sure there’s a deep comment on society that I could make there. But all I keep thinking is that I’d push it anyway too. Just on the hope that maybe … just maybe I somehow did have just the slightest bit of control.