Posted on 10/07/2025 2:51:40 PM PDT by Omnivore-Dan
If you’ve ever wondered what power you really wield as a pedestrian in a busy city, read on…
City life involves a lot of waiting – in queues in the supermarket, on platforms for trains and buses, at red lights in your car or bike, or in lobbies for elevators. But as I see it, time never moves as soul-crushingly slowly as it does when you’re waiting to cross a busy road.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Well, if you wiggle your fingers under the cold water stream faster, the hot water DEFINITELY comes out of the faucet sooner.
Ask AOC.
And nothing makes hot water come out of the showerhead faster than walking away for a quick leak.
Smart faucets have been here. AOC is a smart faucet.
“Buttons”
Hah! We have cameras connected to a system which automatically engages the walk signals, no filthy button contact required.
Neener-neener. /s
(and they frequently trigger on shadows lol)
Yes. The light will stay green longer for a pedestrian to cross, than if only a single car needs to cross. Found out the hard way.
I am always amazed at the people (adults and kids) that use crosswalks without even looking up to see if there are any cars around. Not only at signals and stop signs, but in the middle of a block by the schools in our area. Head down in their phones, step off the curb into the road, walking slowly, etc.
Our family (young adults now included) that live in relatively quiet suburbia pick the time to use those middle of the street crosswalks so as to not make the cars slow down or stop. Basic courtesy, but also for safety (what if they are texting and don’t see you.)
For me it is usually when I’m walking the dog, so I just wait before I get to the crosswalk and my dog sniffs a bush while I look at the yard.
“Walk” buttons definitely work. Try not pushing one and see if you ever get the light for pedestrian crossing to work.
If the buttons didn’t do anything, then the pedestrian light indicator would always come on every light cycle without your doing anything. Plenty of times I forgot to push the button and then missed a light cycle as a result and had to wait on a corner to cross until another light cycle.
For all of you jaywalkers, who don’t know and don’t care. I almost always obey the pedestrian signal to walk rather than jaywalking and crossing against a red signal, so yes, I know these buttons work because you don’t get the signal at all if you don’t press the button.
Of course, that is not an absolute. Some poles don’t have a button and the pedestrian crossing signal is simply on a predetermined schedule. Once in a while there is a button but it doesn’t do anything because the ped signal again is predetermined, but that is rare. Almost always when a ped button is on a pole, it controls the ped crossing signal and failing to push the button means you are never going to get the white signal to cross.
I was surprised once when I figured the walk light just comes on when the light turns green so I didn’t bother pressing the button. It didn’t! I don’t recall if I went regardless.
One of them near our house sounds like me talking to my dog. “Wait.....Wait....”
Maybe in your neck of the woods they work. I’ve never seen one change the light or increase the green for someone to cross. I don’t live in a town, but every town around me has them. Maybe there is too much traffic to change any sequence. If that is the purpose, to increase green light time, then I think they should be labled “Press button to increase green light”. Or something similar. It is misleading otherwise.
always works!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.