We've seen these pushbuttons at many street intersections. They're supposed to be a safety enhancement for street crossing pedestrians. When you see either the word "walk" or an LED image of a walking man, that's when one is supposed to embark on that brief foray to the other side of the street.
Things don't always seem to work out that way, unfortunately.
At my age, I don't walk as quickly as I once did. Also, I had foot reconstructive surgery some years ago and although it helped, sometimes that foot does give me some pain which still further inhibits my gait.
The result is that sometimes I don't get to the opposite street corner before the "walk" or the LED man goes away and what often happens then? Why it's: BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!!!!!
I'm given to think that many of these beeping (double entendre intended) wingnuts-at-the-wheel must be on drugs of some kind. Either that or as little children, they got way too many parental boosts of their senses of self-esteem.
My wife once suggested to me that this kind of driver behavior arises so often because many persons now of age fifty and down were never required in elementary school to stand on line in size places, were/are allowed to eat snacks in the classroom and were/are given high grades for poor classroom performances simply because they've become "used" to getting high grades (grade inflation) and now exhibit overdeveloped senses of entitlement and inabilities to control childlike impulsiveness.
Posted by: John Dunn | July 03, 2012 at 08:14 AM
When I was new to NYC in the mid 1960s, I was riding in a taxicab up Broadway at about 122nd St. when the red/green light turned red; so the taxi stopped. When the light turned green again, the taxi driver honked his horn as is still common practice when the car ahead doesn't move instantly -- even though there was not another auto or even a pedestrian in sight. Some habits are hard to break.
I share your view of the short timing of pedestrian crossing lights. It may be an error in timing, easily corrected by the traffic engineer in the locality or his/her techs. But they should be given notice, as they may be unaware and too busy or otherwise inattentive to have noticed on their own. Send them a letter on your P.E. stationery.
And you may be happy to learn that "countdown" walk lights are being installed here and there in the City. Easy to do at minimal marginal cost when using l.e.d.'s. Remember Ch. 13's one-time weekly regional news show called "The 51st State"? Their title sequence showed a Times Square pedestrian light which said either "Walk" or "RUN!"
Posted by: Stoney McMurray | July 05, 2012 at 12:42 AM
When hearing Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ... p,
1. Stop walking
2. Turn and face the a** h*** leaning on the horn.
3. Bend over and stare incredulously, while retreiving your cell phone and preping camera.
4. Take multiple pictures of driver, car, and license plate (if there is a front license).
5. Flip the bird as you slowly finish crossing the street.
6. Turn, and mouth "You're F***ed", and LOL. (If in Chicago, make like you are retrieving a gun from the small of your back!)
Posted by: J. Montague | July 15, 2012 at 01:28 PM