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?
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.