Do crosswalk buttons actually work?

Did you know that only 259 of the 1200 crosswalk buttons in San Francisco and 100 of the 1000 in New York City actually change a traffic pattern? This is because cities are updating their traffic systems, and the ones that remain are often left over from the way pedestrians used to dictate the flow of traffic. Push buttons or “beg buttons” were how people crossed the street before today’s computerized traffic signals existed. However, traffic signals now operate on a timer, so when you press a crosswalk button it doesn’t influence the traffic pattern anymore.

But that doesn’t mean that they’re completely useless in 2023. Some buttons do change traffic signals and many trigger audio cues that can help people with visual impairments cross the street. Plus, pressing them is a lot of fun!