this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2023
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Because those buttons are linked to CCTV headquarters where there needs to be a traffic agent to review every request, and assess whether there isn't too much traffic to turn it green. there are automatic ones paired with loads of sensors. but because you can't have as many surveillors as requests in busy cities. a great deal of them are set-up just to let you wait patiently and candidly until the count down runs out as programmed.
Alright, I looked them up because it seemed quite unlikely to me that a human person would have to constantly stare at 8 real time camera images at the same time, pressing buttons when people can pass. Apparently, it's all automated (see Wiki), but yes, an actual human will review the footage if you cross a red light with a vehicle. I didn't find any evidence of Mr. Baumgartner eating doughnuts, staring at a screen and laughing to himself as he refuses to press the "you can go" button while watching you wait at a traffic light. It would sound pretty inefficient and resource heavy to me.
Feel free to correct me if I read it a bit too quickly and missed a bit referring to that.
Here read about the placebo pedestrian call buttons Pedestrian call buttons
Wow, that's cool, thanks!