I think they are meant for people to believe they do something so they’ll feel better and wait. I used to walk a lot and encounter lots of crosswalk with buttons and I got used to how fast I should go in order to catch green every time and I could predict when the next crosswalk was going to turn green. If they truly worked then they should have been out of sync. I never pushed the buttons and I saw the light turning green even though no one pushed the button, if the buttons worked then why would the light turn green?
I also asked gemini about this and he said I’m not going insane, strange because I never mentioned if I was insane or not, but good to know I’m not.
Maybe some buttons work and other don’t depending on where it is?
Some of them work. What really annoys me is when there’s an induction loop for cars that makes the traffic light change faster.
Those only annoy me when on a bike, as they often are not sensitive enough to realize you are there.
This led to many annoying and one somewhat funny situation:
I was first in line at a at a the time busy turn lane with hidden induction loop, and inadvertently bringing the traffic in the district to a grinding halt as the cars behind me started rapidly pilling up, even blocking the previous intersection.
After 5 or 6 minutes fruitless waiting things started working again when I finally decided to convert to bicycle-pushing pedestrian mode to cross the intersection on foot instead, and the car behind me moving up then activated the induction loop that I didn’t knew about until then…
Never had a problem with them on a bicycle, the induction loops are usually visible, just make sure to properly cross them. Maybe the material of the bicycle makes a difference, mine is steel.
The bike with which I had problems at my workplace had an aluminium frame.
The one at the blockaded turning lane already was my new steel bike, though.
But I guess the amount of ferromagnetic metal does make a difference nonetheless.
Here in Germany the induction loops are paved over with regular asphalt, so without a sign reminding them of their presence, you won’t notice them.
I’ve had success laying my bike on it’s side so the sensor can pick it up.
For this to consider, you have to know there is a induction loop present in the first place.
While many have a sign beside them, others don’t (e.g. the one of my tale).
Had another unmarked one activating the moving entrance barrier at my former workplace.
First time standing there I got really irritated, as I didn’t find a way to open the barrier for me, until realizing the thing with the induction loop. After that, laying my bike down for a second became my every-morning-ritual before work ;-)