[chrismorgan]

Perhaps we’re not talking about the same thing. What I refer to has the button light up while you bump it, and then go dark again, whereas if you press it more deliberately, it stays lit (and takes effect). This can apply to the buttons inside or outside the lift.

[lebuin]

It does sounds somewhat reasonable on paper. But some of the crosswalk buttons in Belgium have this as well, and it's really jarring. You press the button, see the light go on and look away to look at the traffic light and wait for it to turn green. Except 20 seconds later you look back and the indicator light is off again. I feel very strongly that the indicator light should only turn on when your press has been registered.

Let's say you tell someone to do something, and they say "ok". But when you ask them later whether they did, they say "oh no, I just said ok to indicate that I heard you, not that I was going to do something about it." That doesn't make any sense. The indicator light has the same function. Going on and then off again is a violation of basic communication protocol.

[ButlerianJihad]

At intersections, I usually find myself not looking at my red “DON'T WALK” signal, but I’m watching the other traffic signals which are green, and watching for them to turn yellow then red, which means that the next step in the pattern is a green signal for me.

The more complex the intersection, the more controls I can watch, to get a feel for the rhythm, patterns, and triggers that influence the cue to activate my “WALK” signal.

I’m also watching the cars to see when the flows slow down or stop. I should perhaps pay more attention to the signal that pertains to me as a pedestrian or motorist...