Seems a good place to ask a question I’ve been asking myself for a long time, and couldn’t figure out the answer to: why do lonely crosswalks not immediately turn the lights red for the cars when you push the button? Or at least, after a very short delay (< 3 seconds).
For street crossings with multiple directions and multiple lights, that behavior makes sense. You’re waiting for the next pre-programmed phase that syncs you up with other parts of the crossing. For large roads it might make sense, you don’t want to interrupt the flow of the traffic that is expected to hit a green light down the road at current speed.
But for the lonely crossing light in front of the school building in a small street, why do I have to wait 20 seconds after pushing it, every single time?
For street crossings with multiple directions and multiple lights, that behavior makes sense. You’re waiting for the next pre-programmed phase that syncs you up with other parts of the crossing. For large roads it might make sense, you don’t want to interrupt the flow of the traffic that is expected to hit a green light down the road at current speed.
But for the lonely crossing light in front of the school building in a small street, why do I have to wait 20 seconds after pushing it, every single time?