One social media user has presented a case for why pressing the pedestrian button multiple times will not make traffic lights turn red any faster.
A TikTok user who goes by the Traffic Light Doctor (@trafficlightdoctor) has taken to the platform to show exactly what happens when you hit the pedestrian button.
In an explainer clip, posted to his 223,000 followers, the TikToker said: “So in the short term [pressing the button] connects point A to point B. So these buttons out here are actually wired into this POC board.”
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After highlighting various devices and wires that the signal then transfers through, the expert panned to another machine which officially registers that the pedestrian button has been pressed.
“So it doesn’t matter if you press this button one time or one hundred times - still gonna’ do the same thing and just receive a call and it won’t drop out until that call is answered.”
“Once it is answered, it will drop out and that button will be back to prior to you ever pressing it.”
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To conclude his educational video, the Traffic Light Doctor said: “So feel free to push these buttons as many times as you want to.”
Many viewers have taken to the comment section of the clip to give their verdict on the viral video.
One user wrote: “Expert explains why you don't press the pedestrian button more than once when crossing the road.”
A second commented: "I like pushing it multiple times, not because it makes it go faster, but because the 'wait' voice sounds like a duck."
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"All that technology - they should just get an iPhone and some duck tape and hook it up to some WiFi," joked a third.
However, the video itself has served as an educational asset, with one viewer writing: “I didn’t think they were ever connected and were just a placebo.”
Speaking to the Daily Dot, the Traffic Light Doctor has further clarified how traffic light systems work and that many operate differently to how he has detailed in the video.
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He reportedly said: “Crosswalk systems typically operate 24/7, accepting inputs at all times. However, some systems might have variations in sensitivity during different times of day, optimising for busier traffic periods.
“Over the years that I’ve been working on these systems I’ve noticed that pedestrian and driver behaviour can vary significantly depending on factors like traffic flow, weather, and location,” he continued.
It’s also stated that he uses his TikTok platform to ‘educate people’ on how traffic lights work so that he can ‘help lower’ the risk of injuries and fatalities on the roads.
Ella Scott