The system works amazingly well. In a couple years of walking through midtown, I only saw one person get hit by a car and they walked out from behind a food tru

The system works amazingly well. In a couple years of walking through midtown, I only saw one person get hit by a car and they walked out from behind a food truck into traffic, nowhere near a crosswalk. The car couldn't have done anything about it. When I first moved there I was annoyed by everyone ignoring the signals. Then I came to appreciate it as an efficient way of getting around the city. Pedestrians (and bikes and cars) all used the signals as general guidelines, but would go when it was safe, because otherwise you're never going to get anywhere. I'm not saying that everyone everywhere should ignore traffic signals, but it seems to work well in New York City.