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Haven't seen those anywhere here and I assume those are actually kind of nasty for car traffic (since .. all directions need to stop). Fascinating :)
There's some next-level traffic light voodoo I often see people attempting in the UK, which is repeatedly pressing the button. I like the idea that it's a democratic process: only when pedestrians outnumber cars will the lights change.
There's some next-level traffic light voodoo I often see people attempting in the UK, which is repeatedly pressing the button. I like the idea that it's a democratic process: only when pedestrians outnumber cars will the lights change.
For me the most interesting piece in that article was the image of a crossing where pedestrians can actually walk _across_ the crossing (like, diagonally) instead of just a single street. Haven't seen those anywhere here and I assume those are actually kind of nasty for car traffic (since .. all directions need to stop). Fascinating :)
There's some next-level traffic light voodoo I often see people attempting in the UK, which is repeatedly pressing the button. I like the idea that it's a democratic process: only when pedestrians outnumber cars will the lights change.
I've seen people do this with the Clear button on calculators. They press it repeatedly, presumably in the belief that extra presses make it "really cancel". Something to do with their mental model of the calculator's internal state?
At a junction it is more complicated."
That's all you need to know.
I've been to places where the 1st case applies. Press the button, the car signal turns yellow immediately (light traffic and light pedestrian traffic)
At a crossing, let's see, you got there and you pressed the button, then another person came and pressed the button to cross the other street (meaning, traffic where you want to cross)
No system can make sense of these requests, and the traffic has to flow. Makes sense to just go through the movements and ignore the buttons.
Not nearly as annoying as lift/elevator buttons.
[1] http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/10/17/051017ta_talk_pa...
In York (UK) it is a mixed bag. There are a couple of simple pedestrian crossings near my home where the lights never change without a press and change very quickly once requested. At junctions it is more complex and seems to vary: some definitely have their sequence altered by specific pedestrian requests, some definitely seem not to. I've not noted if any vary by time of day, as some people report.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've seen people do this with the Clear button on calculators. They press it repeatedly, presumably in the belief that extra presses make it "really cancel". Something to do with their mental model of the calculator's internal state?
I used to do this. It's because of the confusing presence of the AC button. The UI has made clear to you that there are multiple levels of cancellation, one can in fact "really cancel." We know full well that there is some overcomplex internal state to the device, and rather than reading the manual for a calculator (honestly) we hammer the cancel button a few times, just to make sure.
A quick search reveals that some calculators have an AC button (clear everything) and a C button (clear last entry), while others have C (clear everything) and CE (clear last entry). Definitely confusing.