Those San Francisco crosswalk buttons? 80 percent of them don't do anything to change the signal

A pedestrian crosses at 23rd and Mission Streets in San Francisco in a file photo. A pedestrian crosses at 23rd and Mission Streets in San Francisco in a file photo. Photo: Jonathan Curiel Photo: Jonathan Curiel Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close Those San Francisco crosswalk buttons? 80 percent of them don't do anything to change the signal 1 / 30 Back to Gallery

Have you ever felt like those crosswalk buttons were placed at intersections around the city only to test your patience?

For 8 in every 10 crosswalk buttons in San Francisco, your frustration may be valid.

In a recent article in the Boston Globe, representatives of the Boston Transportation Department revealed that buttons scattered throughout Boston do absolutely nothing when pressed. When officials were asked why these buttons lacked function, they had a simple explanation: One person shouldn't be able to change complex traffic patterns in a major city.

With this in mind, we set out to discover if San Francisco operated under the same rules.

"In San Francisco, every push button has a purpose," said Paul Rose, a San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency spokesperson, in an email. "It can change the signal after pressing it or it is used as an Audible Pedestrian Signal (APS)."

Unlike Boston, San Francisco doesn't have any "placebo" buttons. But that doesn't mean every button can change a light.

In San Francisco, 251 of the 1,222 intersection crosswalk buttons are "pedestrian actuated,"meaning they actually affect the traffic lights and can change the signal, according to data provided by the SFMTA.

Each of the intersections with the "pedestrian actuated" feature can be found in the map below. Some of San Francisco's heaviest streets for traffic-changing buttons include First Street, Third Street, 19th Street, Bayshore, and the Embarcadero.

For the remaining 971 buttons, APS comes into play. The APS acts as an indicator to the visually impaired for when it is safe to cross the street. That explains the repetitive, jackhammer-like noise pedestrians hear from the buttons.

Ninety of the 251 pedestrian-actuated buttons have the dual purpose of APS and changing the traffic signals.

"Bottom line, if the button does not have a useful purpose, it is removed," Rose added.

"In general, Walk SF really supports not having to press the buttons," said Cathy DeLuca, interim Executive Director of Walk SF, a pedestrian advocacy organization. "We don't think people should have to ask to cross the street."

In WalkSF's "realm of active transportation advocacy," the buttons are negatively referred to as "beg buttons."

"No one should have to beg just to cross the street," says DeLuca.

Walk SF is in support of having buttons across the city changed to solely feature APS.

"Even though they don't turn the light, we think that those are accessible pedestrian buttons and are extremely important for those with disabilities," DeLuca said. "In terms of safety, those are needed for a good portion of our community."

When in a hurry to get from point A to B, waiting around for the light to change can be frustrating. But SF pedestrians we talked to are in support of the assistance provided by the city for those in need.

"It's important to have something for the visually impaired to be able to cross the street safely," said pedestrian J.S. Boulanger, a Bay Area resident of six years.

"How else is someone who is visually impaired supposed to get across the street without hearing that?" Omeed Manocheri remarked on the noises emitted from the buttons while waiting to cross on the corner of Fifth and Mission streets.

Each button in San Francisco does serve a greater function. Whether it's the most effective way for the city to operate is a different question.

"I feel like there's an illusion of safety that big cities have to project," Manocheri added, just before darting across the street. "That is a perfect example of one way that they do it."