

For Exercise in New York Futility, Push Button - tshtf
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/27/nyregion/27BUTT.html

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ydant
I remember reading an article about how a certain set of traffic lights (I
think in New York City) were left on entirely automatic cycling - at least on
Shabbat for the Orthodox Jewish community. I can't find the article anymore.

The disabled button thing is a pretty well known secret. It's not always true
- plenty of elevators and crosswalks do have functioning buttons. Since we
have no way of knowing which is which, it seems a better choice cost to press
the button and maybe get a reward than to stand there and not do anything and
get punished.

I've certainly sat at crosswalks not pressing the button and the light not
changing - until right after I pressed the button. It makes you feel like a
fool, and nobody likes feeling like a fool.

Ideally I'd like to see the signs and buttons removed, but it's a waste of
money. Better to have a bunch of people being fools than paying that much per
button just to remove it...

