> like the "push to walk" button at the street corner.

Thanks for using that comparison - oddly enough it provided some nice entertainment for me :D

Since I wasn't aware if "push to walk" was a cultural reference that I might not know I started some quick research that lead me to a couple of interesting articles.

I started off with a search that resulted in the Placebo Button (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo_button) article on wikipedia.

From the references section in that article I found a nice column from NY times about the street crossing buttons in NY (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/27/nyregion/27BUTT.html).

From which I picked up an interesting pattern in traffic control solutions - called the 'Barnes Dance'.

Which lead me to this video (http://www.streetfilms.org/barnes-dance/) from which I learned that it's also known as Pedestrian scramble (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrian_scramble).

It's funny how a couple of well picked words on your side has lead me to an entertaining research.

I just wanted to say thanks and share this experience :)