They have these all over Columbus. Aside from the occasional light that needs to be tripped in order to turn red, pedestrians don't get a "walk" signal even when they have the right of way, unless they push the button. I can't help but imagine how much money it cost for all of these. Anyone have any idea? Not just for the systems themselves, but for widescale installation. It's amazing how quickly the city will implement something to inconvenience pedestrians, but drags it's feet when it comes to painting some cheap sharrows on the road. I guess I'll have to settle for two "share the road" signs at south campus gateway. How prevalent are these in other Ohio cities and are they just as useless?

Columbusite, I'm not familiar with where these are installed, but its not uncommon that at major suburban intersections, the default light cycle does not provide enough time for a pedestrian to safely cross a multi-lane arterial.  Thus the button actually changes the duration of the light cycle.

 

 

  Unfortunately, most traffic signals in Ohio are timed for cars first and pedestrians second. It's not like that everywhere; in some places the light turns instantly when the button is pressed.

 

    And yes, the signal timing is adjusted to allow more time for pedestrians when the button is pressed. Otherwise, drivers would complain that they have to wait too long.

 

    The cost of the button itself is not that much. The biggest cost in traffic signals is the engineering and the control device. Most new control devices are electronic, and simply turn switches on and off to light the signals. Some old ones are mechanical, and consist more or less of a wheel that rotates slowly and switches the signal lights on and off on a pretimed schedule. The newer electronic ones have the ability to change the timing throughout the day, adjust for weekends and holidays, interact with other signals, and make adjustments based on traffic including pedestrian buttons and even emergency vehicles.

I can't stand them either in the city, especially at intersections where 9 times out 10 there will be someone wanting to cross.  There is one like that near my condo in Chicago at Irving Park Rd and Broadway that really annoys me....there are always peds in the area and you shouldn't have to push a button.  It seems out of reach for wheelchairs too.