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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • This just in from the Department of the Obvious 6/16/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, June 16, 2008 Once is enough for crosswalk button By Jeff Switzer Herald Writer Pounding the pavement delivering mail in downtown Everett, Clyde Philp always hits the crosswalk button three times to get a traffic light to change. "It's as if more people are waiting there at the corner," he said. "It helps my psyche." In a few minutes, Tyson Neland walks by on his way to a construction job. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. Six hits on the silver button as he lugs tools and gear to work. "I'm standing there and there's nothing better to do," Neland said. "I know I have to push it just once." The silver "bells" and are battered daily, said Dongho Chang, Everett traffic engineer. "Pedestrians usually hit them several times," Chang said. "Other people hold onto them for several seconds. Others push it once and hope the signal senses them." They seldom break. "They're fairly indestructible," he said. "Occasionally we find one broken. They're industrial and take a lot of abuse. People kick them and do various things to let the signal know they're there." Much of the effort is wasted. "It just needs to sense you once," Chang said. "As long as it knows you pushed it, that's all it cares about." A controller in the traffic signal cabinet senses the pedestrian request and puts that request into the loop, Chang said. Depending on the road and time of day, it could be a few seconds or a few minutes before the walk signal lights up. New-fangled crosswalk buttons don't get as much abuse. They beep once they're pushed to acknowledge the pedestrian is there. That validation seems to be enough, Chang said. For people who are both blind and deaf, some crosswalk buttons vibrate briefly and then send a longer buzzing vibration when it's time to cross. Gas price check Fifty cents in the past month. That's how much the average gallon of unleaded has increased in the Everett-Bellevue-Seattle area, according to AAA auto club. Word of the day Urbandictionary.com, more often the home of bawdy turns of phrase, sent out a "word of the day" recently that was more Street Smarts-style. Cash Pedal. n. The accelerator pedal in your car during times of high gasoline prices. So named because its prodigious use will lead to more cash spent on gas. "You wouldn't be putting $100 a week in that thing if you would just be a little smoother on the cash pedal." New cell phone law Just two weeks until the state's new law kicks in on talking and driving. As of July 1, drivers aren't supposed to hold a cell phone to their ear while driving or face a $124 fine. Using a hands-free device is OK. Police can't stop drivers just for holding a phone to their ear because it's considered a secondary offense. Even so, they said they can stop a driver for the weird speeds and bad steering that sometimes accompanies driving and dialing. Herald reader Pat Cooney suggested the slogan "Stay Alive -- Hang Up and Drive." Watch to see whether it shows up on a billboard or TV commercial someplace. Washington state is in the minority with its ban, according to the Governor's Highway Safety Association. Just five states plus Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands ban people from using a hand-held cell phone while driving. California's ban also goes into effect next month. Three states ban text messaging while driving: Washington, Minnesota and New Jersey. Ask about traffic Have a question about traffic or street rules? E-mail stsmarts@heraldnet.com.

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