Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

illusion of control

You walk up to the intersection. The pedestrian sign says “Don’t Walk,” and traffic is speeding across your intended path. So you press the crosswalk button to signal the sytem that you want to cross.

And you wait.

Modern automated traffic timing systems have rendered crosswalk buttons obsolete in cities like New York, where, according to the New York Times, “more than 2,500 of the 3,250 walk buttons that still exist function essentially as mechanical placebos.” (“For Exercise in New York Futility, Push Button” - 02/27/04) And since it will cost $300-400 to remove the inoperable buttons, the city’s decided just to leave them there.

So people keep pressing these dummy buttons, thinking they have some modicum of control over traffic and their immediate path in life. But instead what they have is an illusion of control. The decision about when the light will change has already been made, independent of them and their button-pushing desire to move forward.

(Link found via Slashdot.)