Total Crisis Panic Button by Jason Eppink
Some crosswalk buttons in LA have been labeled Total Crisis Panic Buttons. According to the artist:
The Total Crisis Panic Button initiative replaced Los Angeles crosswalk instruction signs with more relevant and useful instructional graphics. (Nobody walks in Los Angeles, and who doesn’t know how to use a crosswalk anyway?)
I can’t think of anywhere in Seattle that has signs for a crosswalk push button (not even a sign with a slightly less authoritarian bent), but maybe I just overlook them. This is an open thread.
I have definitely seen crosswalk button instructions (maybe at 45th and I-5?). They make me laugh. Who doesn’t understand how they work? Never thought about the potential for a funny art project, though. May be a good opportunity for sticker graffiti (not that I would encourage illegal activity or anything…)
That’s terrific, that needs to go up in Fremont or Georgetown. Downtown!
What I’d love to see is an interview with SDOT about how those things are programmed. Most of us have been at crossings where use of the button seems like a placebo, especially at high traffic periods, and yet discover that there is responsiveness later at night when traffic is lighter. So are all of them on a clock, and if not what which crossings get them? What are the traffic volumes that dictate long waits for Walk lights and just how long can those pauses be? Is there a map or chart of those settings on file, and could it go online? The War on Cars needs more counter-intelligence.