I could scream sometimes at people's inability to think things out. When out and about, what really gets me annoyed is the way that people keep banging on these things...
...at traffic lights in the mistaken belief that they will make the lights change faster.
People, if that were the case, then what you would be pressing would look like this:
The hand on it tells you to press and the red words that come after pressing on it are a hint that you have done something that will alter the speed at which the green man will come on.
Going back to the other device commonly found at road crossings...
...you will note that there is no hand and you don't get any words in red. What you do see are two symbols. The yellow circle with three dots in it is a symbol that means 'deaf person'. When you walk around town, you might see a badge like this on a person's lapel. That means "I am deaf".
The white stick, on the other hand, is a commonly accepted symbol to denote a blind person.
Yes, folks, these devices are intended to tell the deaf and/or blind when it is safe to cross. The blue bit at the top should vibrate to let a deaf person know when the lights have changed and they can cross. A blind person will hear a continuous beeping noise, which is different to the usual clicking sound that tells a blind pedestrian where the traffic light is.
And if you feel underneath this device, you will notice an arrowhead that points forward. It might be at an angle; it might point straight ahead. What this arrowhead does is tell the blind person the direction he or she should walk in to get to the other side safely.
You can bang on these devices all you like, it won't make a blind bit of difference. You might think, "Oh, look - I've banged my hand on this thing and two seconds later the lights changed for me." That is pure coincidence.
Most roads are very complicated, with trams, buses, cars and cyclists all competing for road space and often many different roads in one junction. Do you seriously believe that everything is going to come to a halt every time someone wants it to? Most road crossings are on a timer. The only time you will get a device with a hand on it and the red words is when the road is relatively quiet (e.g. in the country) or when the junction is relatively simple and not many people want to cross there. I know of only one such place in this town.
So... the next time you stand next to one of these devices with the deaf and blind symbol on it, understand that it's not for you and there is no need to bang it or touch it - unless you are truly dumb.
If you want more explanations of these devices, here it is in German:
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