Weekly Bet Ya Didn't Know (or just didn't care to find out...)

Could Those Crosswalk Signal Buttons be Just a Sham?    

(Photo: googcelebrity.blogspot.com)

As the boyfriend and I were on our way to meet his new baby niece, we were at a stop light and watched as some guy (on a Segway, by the way) furiously pressed the crosswalk button on the traffic signal post.  "Was all his effort to get a walk signal just a waste?" I pondered.  And so I needed to find out.  The short answer.  Yes, it was most likely a waste, but I don't know for sure.  Hmph.

In an article on nytimes.com, it says that in New York the buttons were first installed to make the traffic flow more efficient.  However, now most of them seem to have been disabled as new traffic signals have been installed and they haven't removed the useless buttons for cost reasons. That's New York, now, what about everywhere else? 

(Photo: realsimple.com)

Ugh, it gets more inconclusive.  I looked at numerous other sites which couldn't give me an exact answer, or at least one that I thought could be trusted.  Some suggest that the buttons are just there as a placebo to prevent what I call "sidewalk rage" (see youarenotsosmart.com).  That site refers to an ABC story done, which only found one working crosswalk button in each of these three cities; Austin, Syracuse and Gainsville.  You can watch the video of that show at http://abcnews.go.com. 

So, my conclusion?  Some might work, but it looks like most do not.  Whether it's the government's way to control people and keep them happy, I have no idea.  Check with your local conspiracy theorist. Even though I hate when there is no straight answer, it looks like we aren't going to get one here today.  So keep on pressin' and maybe, just maybe, it will work.  Good luck and farewell.