NORTH SALT LAKE -- Button, button, who'll push the button?
You'd better -- if it's on a traffic signal pole and you want time to cross a wide street without getting mashed flatter than that coyote in the Roadrunner cartoons.That subject came up recently before the Wasatch Front Regional Council reflected on the congested conditions on local roads, some of which have been heavily impacted by I-15 reconstruction.
It seems those traffic light buttons are not only underused, they're also misunderstood.
Many pedestrians think pushing a signal button will speed the signal phase and make the light change sooner.
That's somewhat true where signals on a busy road are set for a longer duration, traffic engineer Doug Hattery explained after the council meeting.
But that's not the main reason for those gadgets on a semaphore pole.
If you don't push the button and the light changes on its normal timing, Hattery said, "you may only get five to 10 seconds of green time. That's not enough time to get across. Pushing the button will give you more time, depending on how wide the street is."
The traffic engineer said the longer crossing time roughly is calculated by figuring one second for every 4 to 5 feet of road width.
On a 60-foot-wide road, for example, a pedestrian might get 15 to 25 seconds to cross instead of the standard five to 10 seconds. There would be more time for an 80-foot-wide road.
That may not seem like much, but it could make the difference between crossing a busy street safely or striking up an acquaintance with a paramedic.