4 ms·

I notice a lot in London that there are a bunch of pedestrian lights in areas witha steady flow of traffic that will only work if the button has been pressed,

I notice a lot in London that there are a bunch of pedestrian lights in areas witha steady flow of traffic that will only work if the button has been pressed, yet every single day I see people, often the same people, stand there until someone else presses the button. Part of me wonders if there's almost an aspect of not wanting to cause offense involved. If you're the person who presses the button, you're responsible for the ire of whatever drivers you delay, so you'll either wait for an gap to run across the road or someone else'll press the button and absolve you.

ddeokbokki 8y ago
Londoner here - I personally don't press the button if it's only me and the road is not busy since the time I would save would be lost over all the people I would make stop just for me. I've seen many people not press the buttons thinking it's just there as a placebo, it's mostly tourists though as it's common knowledge amongst Londoners that the button signals the traffic operating system that a pedestrian would like to cross.
- test1235 8y ago
  kinda makes me think of the buttons on certain tube train doors which do nothing
- fyfy18 8y ago
  My experience is even locals wait and don't press the button. Near where I live there is a pedestrian crossing across a busy road, and I've seen people waiting there many times without pressing the button. This is in Zone 2, far from where tourists would go.
entity345 8y ago
If traffic is heavy and I think I won't get a chance to cross then I push the button. Otherwise I just wait and cross when there's a gap without bothering anyone.
avian 8y ago
I’ve seen this behavior in parts of Europe where offending other people in traffic is much less frowned-upon than in England. I think it’s just the case of everyone assuming that someone else has pressed the button.
- danmaz74 8y ago
  Usually here in London there is a light showing if the button has been pressed or not.
dazc 8y ago
I avoid pressing the button if there is a chance of crossing without having to delay traffic. The only reason being that, when driving, I wish people would do the same since I always seem to get held up by a red light when the person who pressed the button has long since gone.
- pbhjpbhj 8y ago
  I do this, if the crossing interrupted traffic immediately then it would be better (imo; I'm both a driver, pedestrian, and cyclist), but they often wait, which when it's raining ... Some low-use crossings on busier roads (in UK) will interrupt immediately. Presumably they realise that delay causes pedestrians to choose crossing without the traffic signals assistance; and so signal controllers go for the safer option of immediately acting on pedestrian request.
  - toast0 8y ago
    Not sure about signals in the UK, but the signals I've experienced in California tend to want a certain minimum time as green in a given direction... If that direction has been on a green for at least that long, any input for the other direction will cause the light to cycle immediately; and if the crossing button was used in that direction, the minimum time is usually increased.
jaymzcampbell 8y ago
(Another) Londoner here, regarding risking the ire of drivers - I used to feel like that and now no longer care - I press, wait and cross safely. Having seen enough close calls in London traffic or with bikes suddenly coming up and zooming past I value my safety more than inconveniencing cars.
oarsinsync 8y ago
Not a Londoner, but I have zero regard for the interests and sensibilities of drivers. As a pedestrian, cyclist and driver, I feel safe in saying that the worst road users generally are (in order) drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Amusingly, that also goes in the same order of 'who is more likely to kill you if they run into you', which may play a part. Eitherway, I always press the button. It doesn't matter if it's rush hour, middle of the day, or middle of the night. My safety is more important than saving a driver a minute on their journey.
- rootusrootus 8y ago
  When I'm driving, it's the pedestrians that are idiots. When I'm walking, it's the drivers. Something I've always noted with amusement, how quickly the perspective changes. Like going through a Costco parking lot to find a spot, then parking and walking into the store.
- dsfyu404ed 8y ago
  I find that the worst pedestrians make the worst cyclists and drivers (and vice versa). Being courteous in mixed traffic is all about predicting what others will do (and choosing what you do to not conflict with that) and behaving in a way that will let them predict what you will do (so they can act in a way that does not conflict with you). Being able to predict what others want to do is very important to be a courteous pedestrian/cyclist/driver. Generally speaking I find that people who hate a certain type of traffic do so because they do not empathize with that group of road users are bad at predicting what that group will do. This consequently makes them likely to be bad drivers/cyclists/pedestrians because it is harder for them to optimize their actions to not conflict with that other road users.

ddeokbokki 8y ago

Londoner here - I personally don't press the button if it's only me and the road is not busy since the time I would save would be lost over all the people I would make stop just for me. I've seen many people not press the buttons thinking it's just there as a placebo, it's mostly tourists though as it's common knowledge amongst Londoners that the button signals the traffic operating system that a pedestrian would like to cross.

test1235 8y ago
kinda makes me think of the buttons on certain tube train doors which do nothing
fyfy18 8y ago
My experience is even locals wait and don't press the button. Near where I live there is a pedestrian crossing across a busy road, and I've seen people waiting there many times without pressing the button. This is in Zone 2, far from where tourists would go.

entity345 8y ago

If traffic is heavy and I think I won't get a chance to cross then I push the button. Otherwise I just wait and cross when there's a gap without bothering anyone.

avian 8y ago

I’ve seen this behavior in parts of Europe where offending other people in traffic is much less frowned-upon than in England. I think it’s just the case of everyone assuming that someone else has pressed the button.

danmaz74 8y ago
Usually here in London there is a light showing if the button has been pressed or not.

dazc 8y ago

I avoid pressing the button if there is a chance of crossing without having to delay traffic. The only reason being that, when driving, I wish people would do the same since I always seem to get held up by a red light when the person who pressed the button has long since gone.

pbhjpbhj 8y ago
I do this, if the crossing interrupted traffic immediately then it would be better (imo; I'm both a driver, pedestrian, and cyclist), but they often wait, which when it's raining ... Some low-use crossings on busier roads (in UK) will interrupt immediately. Presumably they realise that delay causes pedestrians to choose crossing without the traffic signals assistance; and so signal controllers go for the safer option of immediately acting on pedestrian request.
- toast0 8y ago
  Not sure about signals in the UK, but the signals I've experienced in California tend to want a certain minimum time as green in a given direction... If that direction has been on a green for at least that long, any input for the other direction will cause the light to cycle immediately; and if the crossing button was used in that direction, the minimum time is usually increased.

jaymzcampbell 8y ago

(Another) Londoner here, regarding risking the ire of drivers - I used to feel like that and now no longer care - I press, wait and cross safely. Having seen enough close calls in London traffic or with bikes suddenly coming up and zooming past I value my safety more than inconveniencing cars.

oarsinsync 8y ago

Not a Londoner, but I have zero regard for the interests and sensibilities of drivers. As a pedestrian, cyclist and driver, I feel safe in saying that the worst road users generally are (in order) drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Amusingly, that also goes in the same order of 'who is more likely to kill you if they run into you', which may play a part. Eitherway, I always press the button. It doesn't matter if it's rush hour, middle of the day, or middle of the night. My safety is more important than saving a driver a minute on their journey.

rootusrootus 8y ago
When I'm driving, it's the pedestrians that are idiots. When I'm walking, it's the drivers. Something I've always noted with amusement, how quickly the perspective changes. Like going through a Costco parking lot to find a spot, then parking and walking into the store.
dsfyu404ed 8y ago
I find that the worst pedestrians make the worst cyclists and drivers (and vice versa). Being courteous in mixed traffic is all about predicting what others will do (and choosing what you do to not conflict with that) and behaving in a way that will let them predict what you will do (so they can act in a way that does not conflict with you). Being able to predict what others want to do is very important to be a courteous pedestrian/cyclist/driver. Generally speaking I find that people who hate a certain type of traffic do so because they do not empathize with that group of road users are bad at predicting what that group will do. This consequently makes them likely to be bad drivers/cyclists/pedestrians because it is harder for them to optimize their actions to not conflict with that other road users.