NEW SIGN: - nothing to see, just a horrible noise
New pedestrian crossing signalling systems are popping up here in NYC. I use the complicated terminology because, well, they are complicated. What's wrong with the red man/white man flashing combo? Apart from the obvious of course - I think the white man should be green, for the record.
Now, add in some loud, annoying noises and you've got something more guaranteed to give you a headache than get you across the road safely. The new thing sits at about waist height on a lamp-post by the crossing and barks 'Wait!' 'Wait! 'Wait!' at you until you want to cry. Some people, including me of course, already given to dispensing names and human attributes to all manner of non-animal things, end up shouting back. 'I AM WAITING!!" 'SHUDDUP ALREADY!' It's just embarrassing for me.
It is even worse when the time arrives to actually cross the road. Then, instead of barking 'WALK!' the thing doesn't speak. Instead it lets out this bizarre ricochet of machine gun fire. Well, we are in America after all. Honestly, the noise is exactly like some kind of automatic weapon fire. I imagine. Thankfully I've never been in the vicinity of that but I've seen the movies, dammit.
What are the traffic organisers of NYC thinking? Why that sound? It's worth a special trip out here just to try it, isn't it? If you do, the particular noise box I am currently alluding to is located opposite the Lincoln Centre. Maybe it was set up specially to scare all the fashionistas off the streets and into the shows during NYFW. Whatever, I can't see the benefit so far. Well of course, it's much better for blind road-crossers. But even they, I am certain. would prefer less manic, bossy noise as they go about their daily business. What about a blast of some soothing lounge music for the waiting bit ? (Why not pipe a bit of that Sade music out of the shops and onto the streets via loudspeakers? Lord knows they play enough of it EVERYWHERE) Then, when it's time to cross, they could play some Jay Z.
Random thoughts, random thoughts.....
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