Push-buttons at a pedestrian crossing are a pretty standard safety feature at most intersections.
But how long does a push button need to be? And we’re not talking about the length of time waiting once you press the push button, but the length of the actual push button…
Twitter user @kurenaisuzume stumbled across a particular pedestrian crossing signal push button that was definitely pushing his button.
At first glance, it looks like a run-of-the-mill pedestrian crossing push button, the kind that are generally affixed to the pole and you press the little button and wait for the little man to turn green.
But from a sideways angle, you’ll see that this push button is rather long and protruding…
Actually, make that VERY long and protruding!
Needless to say, a traffic push button of this length is a little ridiculous. One could actually limbo under this out onto the pedestrian crossing.
How long does a push button need to be to draw our attention? Are pedestrians really not going to remember to push the button? Or are the city planners wanting to stop pedestrians intent on jaywalking by saying “Here’s your button, damn it! Press it!”? Either way someone has gone to extreme lengths to keep the button at arm’s distance from the telegraph pole.
Thankfully, there is a valid reason behind this at-arm’s-length pedestrian crossing push button, which is related to where the telegraph pole is located and how it’s been built.
If you look at the first photo a little more carefully, you’ll notice that the telegraph pole has actually been built on a slope (the concrete is slanted) and the super-extended bar allows pedestrians to avoid the sloped ground and from standing too close to the pole, making this one of the most considerate pedestrian crossing push buttons we’ve ever seen.
We know that pedestrian crossing signals are intended to stop traffic but, in this case, its sheer length also stopped unsuspecting pedestrians in their tracks.
Source: Curazy.com
Images: Curazy.com, Wikipedia