I work in New York, but I go to Seattle periodically because that's where my company's headquarters is. How people treat the buttons is wildly different between those two cities. I hardly ever see anyone press the cross button in NY, since the convention is to wait for there to be no cars and then cross (and not bother with the button). In Seattle, I've seen people wait patiently at a cross walk even though there's no cars anywhere in sight.
I would imagine rather than a placebo effect, it's more of a self-selection phenomenon - rather than pressing a button making people more patient, the people who are more likely to follow "the rules" are more likely to press the button. And even if there is hypothetically a placebo effect, the result would be irrelevant if almost no one presses the button.
I believe jaywalking is illegal, and enforced in Seattle.
When I'm in the UK I will normally not press the pedestrian button (unless its the type of pedestrian only crossing which only activate with the button, not on traffic lights on a junction) . But when I'm in the US, or a different country with jaywalking laws, I will stick to the rules much more rigidly.
I also really enjoy the first time crossing a road when I get back, the taste of freedom!
Just checked it for Germany, sensibly it's fined if you walk on the Autobahn or some other street limited to cars only. Crossing any other street - even if there is a crosswalk nearby - will only be fined if you at least create a danger for someone else. And then it's all <= 10€.
Massachusetts pedestrians are only guaranteed right of way in marked crosswalks that do not have a signal. When there is a signal the light denotes right of way.
It can definitely happen. I'm guessing it varies state by state, but I was hit by a car while out running. I was crossing at a green light, didn't press the button, and a car made a left turn at the same time and hit me. The police report said the driver was not at fault.
First time I visited Seattle, I crossed a wide-ish, but completely clear street against the light. When I got across, an homeless-looking guy came running up to tell me, "Don't do that, man! Fifty dollars, and they'll catch you!"
I remember wondering how anyone ever got anywhere.
Weird. I've been downtown for 3 years now, and I've never seen or heard of anybody getting a jaywalking ticket. I pretty much use the New York style and cross the street when it's clear. I feel like I'm a competent enough adult to see when it's clear to go. However, I do watch the signals and give cars right-of-way when they have it.
What people do here is continue to cross after they lose right-of-way. This means cars have to sit through 3 or 4 lights before they can turn the corner. That's half the traffic problem with downtown Seattle.
I live in Seattle as well, and last year I saw some lady jay walk right in front of a cop car. The cop yelled out, "Hey maybe use the crosswalk next time." Without even turning around, she flipped the cop off and kept walking.
As far as I can tell, in Seattle, jaywalking is enforced with $60 fines for about a month every five years or so. Between fining episodes, rumors maintain obedience.
I always thought jaywalking was crossing outside of a marked crosswalk? I didn't know it had anything to do with the colour of the traffic light, that said, I also live in New York and we got our own rules anyhow.
As far as I'm aware, jaywalking is crossing outside a crosswalk (in my area I believe all intersections are considered to have crosswalks), OR against a light. If the hand says no go and you go, you're jaywalking.
In Boston, we cross in front of cars that have a green light :). Although honestly, the cars aren't moving because there's too much traffic to go anywhere as box-blocking laws aren't enforced as it is in NYC.
I once fell from my bike because of this behavior in Paris. I was basically in front of Notre Dame, car traffic was blocked at a green light but the bicycle lane was free. I was going at a good clip and a tourist crossed in front of me. I slammed my brakes and went over the handlebars avoiding the tourist.
I'm underlining it was a tourist not because I particularly like Parisians, but because there is enough bike traffic (and little electric cars) that most Parisians know not to cross using hearing only.
You do not generally have right of way in a marked crosswalk if you have a signal. Anywhere that doesn't have a signal you have the right of way at all times within a marked crosswalk only, regardless of the color of light, outside of marked crosswalks pedestrians are not guaranteed right of way in MA.
I used to be a Bostonian and am a current MA resident, though I work in Cambridge. I've played more chicken on Comm Ave than I care to admit. :)
> ... box-blocking laws aren't enforced as it is in NYC.
I'm from NYC and they're definitely not enforced. (Outside of rare exceptions?) They happen all the time. On the major street I live on (two lanes each way), they recently converted one lane each direction to "bus only". There's more cars than fit in one lane, and so there are /regularly/ cars blocking the box, and I've never seen any kind of enforcement, just awful effects to traffic. (Even as a pedestrian. It's hard to predict what the drivers of those cars are going to do, even if you have the signal and you're in the crosswalk.)
I would imagine rather than a placebo effect, it's more of a self-selection phenomenon - rather than pressing a button making people more patient, the people who are more likely to follow "the rules" are more likely to press the button. And even if there is hypothetically a placebo effect, the result would be irrelevant if almost no one presses the button.