Why Australia’s Crosswalk Buttons are the Best (ft. Billie Eilish)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- If there was a competition for world’s best crosswalk button, Australia would have gold locked in with the remarkable PB/5 button. Its distinct sound has been streamed over 1 billion times on Spotify and TH-cam thanks to a collaboration with Billie Eilish. There’s not a competition by the way, but this video explains why the design is so clever.
Thanks to Glen for the idea for this one!
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The amount of forward, roundhouse or flying kicks these receive on a daily basis and still manage to outlive a typical Australian's lifespan is also a testament to its design.
ive done alot of damage to these suckers
@@mrsmiff5054 why?
@@tysonty5989 cause its fun to kick them when ur a kid lol
@@tysonty5989 It's big enough that a foot can activate it, and that's reason enough if you have the energy to lift your foot to that level
@@mrsmiff5054 i get it when you are a kid, i thought you were destroying them just cause
The whole part where he didn't want to patent his design so that it could be available as widely as possible for as low a cost as possible - legend!
Billie Eilish should return the favour and make the stems to her song downloadable for everyone to remix
@@knocknapeasta she actually did - if you get the new version of logic it comes with the stems and settings for several billie eillish songs (essentially the whole original file)
@@venusg8379 Very cool!
The inventor of the seat belt who worked for Volvo did the same. He didn’t patent it for Volvo because he wanted it to be used in every car to make them safer. That dude has saved so many lives.
I know which software they use the term open source and I would look for something similar with if it were me.
In Slovakia we have same sound for crosswalk, but we have one better feature for disable people. There is an 3d schema of crossing, that you can feel how many basic traffic lines and most importantly tram lines you will cross. So disabled people can prepare for rails and wide street.
Same thing in Denmark, a tactile map of the crossing on top, so you know how many stops there are on your way over, really clever 🚸🛣️
I have never seen a crosswalk button
@@imbob99999 then *in Bratislava
@@kingsed91 that explains it
That's brilliant! I'm a blind Australian and have always been disappointed in the crosswalk buttons in other parts of the world, but that sounds great. Remind me to visit Slovakia some time.
As an Aussie, I forget that it's a relatively unique thing, I'm just so used to it, I would miss it if it was not there
Same here. Always thought isn't this everywhere. Makes me wonder what everyone else uses.
@@AmyLou432 A good question indeed
New Zealand and Ireland has them too.
Same here
Yeah, places outside of aus use them
One thing you missed is that the “Peww” noise is at such a pitch that guide dogs react very strongly to it. We used to raise guide dog pups and when we did city visits their ears stood straight up when they heard the “peww” noise. Must be like a dog whistle.
When the beep goes off my dog sprints across the road and yanks my arm off
Yeah the Audio in this is just clacking?!
I remember putting my ear directly on it as a kid, I feel for the dogs 😂
Wow that's even more cool
its awesome. dude should have patient it. and then we could sell the idea to the world :D
The internal engineering in these things is amazing as well, they are impervious to rain, traffic accidents that destroy the pole barely scratch them and the button mechanism totally protects the internal electrical switch from kicking abuse. The weakest part is the actual bolts holding the button to the pole.
That’s how you pick out a fellow Aussie when you’re waiting to cross a pedestrian crossing overseas - all the Aussies have a slight delay until they realise everyone else has started walking. We subconsciously pay more attention to the noise than the man changing from red to green. Crazy how embedded that noise has become in us!
I can absolutely see that happening one day (still young and haven't gotten to go overseas yet). The thought is an interesting one.... Having a crossing and not having a sound. It's just so right, so normal... The SOUND is absolutely moreso the indicator than anything we look at, other than perhaps the cars stopping.
So much so that it always throws me when the clicker is dead. Sometimes I've missed the crossing entirely cause it wasn't clicking.
For real, that "Beeeeeewww" just before the beeping starts just makes my legs start moving.
Omg you're right! Now that I think about it, I don't really pay attention to the light - I wait for the sound
the only time we actually look at the lights is when there are many crossings and we're not sure which one just went PEW!
There aren't many things I get patriotic about, but the PB/5, polymer banknotes, and the Australian Consumer Law I can get behind.
Aussie. Aussie. Ausssie. Beep… Beep… Beep…
The holy Aussie trinity!
Bad guy not bad design. 😝
What about Foster's ? The can shape is cool I guess
@@zalien6 wouldn’t know no one drinks it in Australia
It was so good, we copied it and used it in Ireland. the solution for contactless buttons that we settled on in Ireland was a PB/5 varient with a proximity sensor opposite the small red light. Just hold your hand (or anything) near the sensor and the lights are queued
Nice work, Ireland.
Was about to say this, we know how to use the right tech
Any button that can withstand a flying leg kick from a 15 year old is a good design in my book.
Edit: oh wow didn't realise a little girl designed an actual kick me button. Awesome.
Forget 15 year olds, I still fly kick them buttons at 28
I'm 44, and I don't think I've EVER touched one of those buttons with my hand.. always the boot..
Hahaha
I kick the button too!
LMAOOOOO
@@genelomas332 Ahh so you guys are the reason these buttons are so unsanitary ;)
(Just kidding, who hasn't given these buttons the ol' razzle dazzle once or twice?)
I never knew that Melbourne's crosswalk buttons were more 'clicky' compared to Sydney's more 'boppy' sounds.
Yeah older models had more clack, newer Beep esp in Tas
I think Melbourne is the only city where they click instead of beeping.
I’m from Melbourne and the bop sound is common
@@the1barbarian781 then I wonder why the TH-camr only showed the clicky sound, and implied that was the usual?
They're boppy in WA too
As an Australian I thought this was how crosswalks always we’re everywhere, also I didn’t know that it made a constant beeping sound i thought it turned off, really shows how well engineered they are.
As someone who grew up in Australia, it’s strange how much I’ve taken these things for granted all my life. It was only when I watched an episode of _Arthur_ on TH-cam - namely, one of the episodes with the blind girl - where someone in the comments pointed out that they live near a pedestrian crossing where there’s a lot of older people with vision problems in the area, so the crossing makes a beeping sound. (They mentioned this because it comes up in the episode.) And I was like, “Wait… they don’t all do that?”
Omg, me too! I thought everyone, everywhere did the same...
The ones near where I live aren’t like this. The sound isn’t mechanical and it doesn’t have a light next to the button
I can't imagine going to another country, imagine waiting for the beeping and it never happens 😂😂
@@Basswave_ Yeah, in SA it's more of a computer game beep rather than a mechanical clack like in the video.
me too
This is the weirdest way I've been proud to be an Australian.
Same
Same, haha
Yeah
Lmao same
Yeah same lol
We use the PB5 in Dublin, and yeah, they are noticeably better than other crossing buttons!
Yep! When I came to visit Ireland a few months ago I noticed how easy it was to use in comparison to the ones over here in the UK
Yeah, when I visited a couple of months ago I was stunned by their design and immediately disappointed by the fact that they don't do anything.
@@07_sev52 the sound on them is really useful though
Ever since visiting Dublin I have always thought they sound like a sci-fi lightgun!
I was surprised to hear one in Dingle, too.
When I was a kid growing up in New Zealand, I used to hold my hand on the button just to feel it jolt when it turned green, completely unaware it served any purpose.
The old rectangular kiwi ones used to have a pair of terminals under the bottom that provided a slight electric shock to tell you when to cross... The adoption of these australian ones was undoubtedly much safer
I find them the best when I’m walking through the town with my loud music blasting, and even if I’m aware of my surroundings, chances are I wouldn’t have paid attention to the green man so I walk when the panel buzzes
@@ranga2050 Every day walking to school 😂
I guess the Aussies take the win on this one
Here in Singapore we've been using this PB/5 design too since around the start of this millennium (replacing older smaller buttons mounted on a cuboid attached to the traffic light) but the button's arrow never points up/downwards here, & we use a flashing green instead of a flashing red man. The sound is also switched off at night due to complaints about their noise by nearby residents. Additionally the buttons for pedestrian crossings used by more senior citizens e.g. in towns with more of them have a card reader above them that lights up the green man for longer if you tap a senior citizen EZ-Link (our public transport stored-value) card on it. We had one crossing in downtown at the junction of Bras Basah Rd & Bencoolen St though that's switched off between 7-11a.m. & 5-9p.m. though (meaning you could never change the red man to green even if you pressed the button)
The fact that a kid invented a kickable version is hilarious to me, because I've been kicking those things for years, and everyone told me I was weird.
But nooo, once you put it to a reasonable kicking height, suddenly the same idea is "brilliant" and "innovative".
I kid. Good on this girl for taking this thing that I'm sure everyone's done at least once, and making it practical.
That the first thing I thought of
People touch them with their hands? When did that happen???!!!!
There are already kickable buttons for elevators and some hospitals have foot pedals on sinks to wash their hands, for surgery. Not really a new innovation but good on her I guess
It amazes me that people use their hands. I always kick them unless I’m lazy. Then I use my elbow. But never my hands.
how tf do you kick them bro what is wrong with you
I love how hard she dug that sound. Billies like: "This shit is fire"
Blind people when the beat drops: 👨🦯👩🦯👨🦯👩🦯👨🦯👩🦯
Yeah. Maybe she will make her next song with the sound of a toilet flush.
Orbital used it in one of their songs nearly 30 years ago.
It's funny how a lot of people would mock her for using a crosswalk sound. If Freddie or David Bowie rose from the dead and said "This crosswalk sounds sick, im gonna use it in a song" People would be like "omg so smart"
Billie Eilish is trash
meanwhile in Europe... they've had buttons with all kinds of good designs since 1868...
So proud of Louis Challis' choice not to patent. Making the decision to not make a fat stack of cash to benefit people with sensory problems around the world. What a guy.
Legend.
@@JulianOShea Agreed. Similar to Volvo patenting the three point seat belt but allowing free use of the patent by other car manufacturers. Y
@@yamakawa511
The same with Mercedes Benz inventing ABS then letting everyone have it. :)
Gives me some hope in society haha
ikr, awesome choice, what a guy
Singapore has this exact model of crosswalk button and it even sounds exactly the same! Didn't know they originated from Australia. I'm glad we adopted such a neat tech!
Ive already forgotten the sound man who made it! Such good from him to forgo patent options so the public & anywhere in world can use $ royalty free. People like this should be known and be publicly praised. Real heros of the world. Not some silly celebrity.
and in new zealand
And in the Republic of Ireland I believe.
It sounds different. There's no mechanical clicking and the beeping is different
Same in Ireland, they are great
Honestly, I had no idea that different countries had different designs for this. It’s just so intuitive and perfect that I can’t imagine using another design.
1:52 he declined the patent so others can have it cheaper, WOW respect.
Agreed. Legend.
Volvo did the same with some car safety stuff.
@@joejoejoejoejoejoe4391 seat belt is the most important one
@@JulianOShea Excellent video, cheers! Absolutely the guy is a legend, and people like this should be well known and praised. True heroes / helpers of the world.
Omg you watched the video. Congrats.
a funny unintended side effect is when the 'clicker' breaks it just goes absolutely wild lol.
like those things can go *FAST*. Think 'through the fire and the flames' fast but faster.
The one next to the servo near me had it's speaker go bust a few days ago and yes. Those PB/5 bad bois can outclass Rockstars at times when the clicker is busted.
Also usually fixed the next day where i live too, which is odd considering destroyed signs and potholes take a year to get patched. heh
EDIT: Spelling
@@flaccidweentheii6684 You've let a cat out of the bag here, dangerous observation. You will disappear by morning...
@@leopoldstotch7711 The Bin Chicken Secret Service won't be taking me alive!
We don't have crosswalk buttons in my country, I actually didn't know they were a thing until now, and I just think it's funny that you have such an amazing system and take it for granted.
2:03 *Talking about how good Australian cross walks are
Some random dude: Just walks across without pressing the button
Indeed.
Just Australia things...
You can lead a man to the best crosswalk in the world, but you can't stop him jaywalking
As an introvert there would be know way I was approaching a man crouched in front of crosswalk button while mid filming a video just to press a button.
As a student of design I never thought about this. So awesome. The best designs are the ones we don't realise are perfect just because we think that's the way things should be.
As an Aussie, I can confirm the PB/5 is 100% the best crosswalk button.
We have the PB/5s in Singapore and I've always thought they sounded awesome. Thanks Australia!
yeah i always thought every country used them until i went to europe
I didn’t know other countries didn’t have crosswalk buttons
But at least Singapore gets to enjoy it
@@PloverTechOfficial we do lmao, they just look and sound differently
Yup I live in Singapore too
As a Singaporean, I appreciate it too. Thanks AU!
“The best thing to come out of Australia”
Wifi: Am I a joke too you?
The wifi is shit here
@@SistermonSimp australia invented wifi thats pretty ironic
@@SistermonSimp thought it was just me, all my family and all my fiends
Yes. Our wifi is a joke
@@SistermonSimp ??? you can’t say wifi is shit in a whole country lmao just your provider is. i have optus nbn and its amazing
so in Germany these things click when red shows and beep when green shows. Although it doesn't look like it, we too have an arrow, and one added feature.
So when you're at a crossing you don't always need the visual impaired signals to ring. So when you touch the touch button normally it will just work for seeing people. On the bottomside though is another button you can press. This will activate the audible signals. This button is also the arrow. there is a triangle extruded from the button's base plane. This triangle is as tall as the button is large but very narrow, thus forming an arrow which is very easy to make out which direction it's pointing.
We use similar buttons in New Zealand, but there is one important difference with their implementation. In Australia, the man flashes red and then stays red, while in New Zealand, the man turns off after a short delay and only lights up again when the button is pressed. This gives a visual signal that someone has already pressed the button. This is handy because we don't need to rush to the next intersection to trigger the crossing if we know someone has already done it. The only negative with this design is the buttons are plastic and won't take much abuse. When they break, you're left with a small inner stem that requires a finger to press.
Cool to know. Lots of people would prefer a system where people always have the right of way. Make the cars push a button…
The Aussie ones are better
I like that, we should implement it here. I also like in other countries that there is a countdown on the flashing red man, so you know how fast you have to run if you get there late.
@@Kcignatius some in Sydney, Parramatta & Penrith have the countdown
The NZ version re the light does not work so well with young children.
The way billie describes how she found the button sound in Sydney is so good
We need more things like this around the world! When I was in Japan, I was really impressed that the crosswalks do a little chirp sound as it’s safe to walk. When I came back home to the US, I was a little sad that we didn’t have anything like this cuz it was quite useful! We gotta collectively start wanting these and then maybe all our countries that don’t have this kind of thing will know there’s actually a demand and reason for them!
We have the auditory ones in a lot of cities in the U.S. Here in Seattle, some of the streets even say, "Walk sign is on... crossing Broadway."
Yoo my favourite thing about the design is there’s a slight flaw, in that they condition people to walk when they hear the sound, so if two are next to each other and you hear the sound, you walk forward even tho the lights red.
you're either referring to the fact that if a near by one goes green people will cross the red one, in which case, that's what the vibration is for (also the box is the thing out putting the sound and humans have this neat thing called auditory localization, so we can tell where a sound is coming from, and they don't build two of them within a certain distance of each other for this exact reason).
or you're referring to how two of them could sync up in a way where it sounds like the rapid clicking, in which case, no, because the green clicking is of a higher pitch
So true. I have to keep on catching myself lol
This is why I put my hand on the box. I know when it's time to go from the vibration changes.
@@OniGanon I just watch the lights where I'm crossing
@@snoboring4846 Yes! Im referring to the first one, at intersections they’ll have two next to each other, so you hear one and have to catch yourself so you don’t accidentally walk into traffic lmao,
We have them in Nz, didn't realize that they were so good.
I can second this! They are great to have around
NZ GANG
Yes!!
We actually have then in Singapore apparently
@@The_Eray you beat me to it;)
I always use my knee to use crossing buttons and these are definitely the most comfortable ones I ever used!
You don’t have to use your hands to push the button. It’s so light weight and large that I’ve used my elbow, my knee, my butt and sometimes my head just to see if it was possible.
This is true.
Very handy when it's raining and you're carrying a coffee and an umbrella! 😅 #truestory
You're not really Australian if you haven't fly kicked one of these things at least once
@@madiis18account lol, I haven't but I've seen it done
Tongue
They’re also an export! I was travelling in Dublin, Ireland and was blown away to find the exact, exact, exact same PB/5 buttons at their pedestrian crossings! My British friends couldnt quite understand why I was so excited about it
The Netherlands has these everywhere too
I live in the Philippines and first saw these in some of the urban cross walks about a decade ago. At the time I didn't make much of it, other than appreciating how huge and satisfying the button was. I even had a running joke with a friend that because of how overt and huge the button was, it wasn't probably hooked up to anything inside, and was more of a pedestrian placebo (infrastructure and civil works here fluctuate wildly in terms of reliability and integrity). Nice to learn about where the design came from.
We rely so heavily on the auditory cue! You’ll see people on their phones waiting and stagger forward a little before looking up to see if it’s actually their light that changed!
Yup, done that XD
I remember travelling in Hawaii with my partner and every time we crossed the road it was so eerily quiet so it just became a thing that i would make the noise myself whenever we had to cross.
My husband and I do this overseas too! It became a little joke but then eventually it was weird whenever one of us DIDN'T do it.
We have these in Dublin Ireland too, during covid some of them have been updated to include a contactless sensor that you wave your hand infront of to activate it without needing to touch the button. A nice update, really does tick all the boxes
Yeah that's true, I visited Dublin two months ago, and I was loved the cross walks.
When I first arrived in Hawaii I was walking around I kept missing the crossing cue? Because there was none. I spent a lot of time wondering how vision impaired people would survive. Soon I saw all vision impaired people needed a carer just to get around. They also have no blind man bumps for stairs or footpath exits. I never would have imagined something like that could go overlooked in a first world country. But America does not have these services
Yes! When you’re conditioned to the sound, its absence is really missed. There is one set of lights I use once or twice a week. It has a broken speaker. I’ve been occupied in thought and missed a whole sequence because there was no audible beeping. Slightly annoying, a tad embarrassing…. But your comment has reminded me to call the traffic authorities lest a blind person gets in trouble.
Duh! I always thought those bumps were to wipe your feet so you don't slip going up the stairs, kinda like a heavy duty door mat but for public staircases.
@@adamimberti6948 lol! I used to think they were to stop skating haha
@@stoopsyo Haha! That makes me feel a little bit better about myself.
Also all of their bank notes are the same size and colour. Our notes, besides being different colours for the vision-impaired, increase in size as the denomination increases so that blind people can independently manage their own money. My mum had a simple plastic template guide that she could put any note onto to determine its size/value. American currency drove her nuts. (Edit: US notes now have braille, which is excellent).
Wow - I had no idea this is an Aussie thing - really proud.
And all respect to Louis Challis for passing up a patent.
Agreed.
I think Australia’s best invention is the black box on planes.
@@kirra7406 I’m pretty sure Australia’s best invention is wifi lmao
@@JulianOShea New Zealand also has them
@@eeveethejedi let’s be real, the internet made the world so much better but also so much worse. At least we can say these crossing box’s don’t actually hurt anyone and are only useful.
These button are great piece of art, and the good thing is that they are implemented in smart way in Sydney by automating crossing during busy hours, giving priority to those who are on foot. Generally, buttons are good on streets, where there are few pedestrians, and the traffic speed is high, but on central streets, it is absolutely senseless to force someone push the button while there are always people gathered to cross the streets. Unfortunately, in most countries of the world the priority is still given to motorized vehicles, and you are forced to use buttons every time you need to cross it, no matter location and time, but luckily, this paradigm is slowly shifting towards pedestrian-oriented street design. A good example is Paris' recent traffic reform. Every city should follow their approach.
It seems strange to think that the everyday things we take for granted were actually developed with much thought involved.
You definitely bring new meaning to the things we take for granted.
It's weird that over country's don't have beeps
One of the hallmarks of great design is that you can take a thing for granted.
Hey mate, if you're into podcasts and enjoy this stuff, give 99 Percent Invisible a listen. It talks about the everyday, invisible design we often take for granted
It's not perfect though because I was about halfway crossing the street and I was on the divided thing and I guess the traffic light was Green with no arrow and he or she probably saw me but not the little man still flashing red. Or maybe he or she went through a red light.
There's a saying, great design is hidden
The original sound is from NSW and has more “boop” audio on both red light and green light. They were first seen around Burwood, Sydney near the NSW Blind Society. No pun intended.
What pun?
@@rachelcookie321 "seen" around burwood
@@angusgeraghty9804 that’s not a pun though, just irony
@@rachelcookie321 literally, some people 🤦🏻♂️
Yeah the one he showed was missing the Sydney sound
Her reaction to the crossing sound has me weak 🤣🤣 I'm American living in Aus and I really dig it too lol
I use these regularly here in Adelaide, South Australia. Never realised the significance of them -- though I was aware many places don't have the audible sound. As someone that is perfectly able, I still use the sound. If I'm speaking to someone else and not watching the light, I still know exactly when it's green.
The curb cut effect in action,
In some places in adelaide, the crossings have this part where you can just wave your hand next to it, and it will activate it. There are some of these on the parade that are very useful if you have full hands.
“One of the best design things to ever come out of Australia (a pedestrian button)” Ahhh yes, one of our greatest successes in this country is to provide an aid for people to cross a road
HILLS HOIST
WI-FI
the key to justifying that is that it is The pedestrian button- there's a mile long list of aspects of the button that cater to all types of people (hearing impaired, blind, etc) that not only just help people cross the road, but help everyone cross the road in the safest way possible.
New Zealand has the same buttons
mans forgot that the wifi he used to upload this vid came out of aus
As a fellow Melbournian and lover of all things history I just wanna say awesome videos mate!! Only recently discovered your channel but have already binge watched all your videos because they're seriously entertaining 😊
Thanks mate!
I remember being in New Zealand and noticed some of the crosswalks had a slightly different walk jingle for the East-West crossing to the North-South crossing. Thought it was a neat feature.
That is a neat idea! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people step off the kerb when they’ve heard the sound, without realising it wasn’t their turn
The unbelievable feeling of nostalgia when I was in Dublin and found the button was exactly the same as the ones from home in Brisbane was brilliant
I never thought this much about it.
Having lived in Australia almost all my life and never had to use one anywhere else that I can recall,
The walk sound is very useful for bikes too, as sometimes you are fixing pedals, handle bars, maybe even bell position etc.
Me and my friends used to wander around at the early mornings during holidays in school, and there's an amazing ambience to a foggy, totally abandoned intersection at 3am with the regular bips echoing down the street.
th-cam.com/video/HSJoXhr2PNw/w-d-xo.html
I cannot believe that it took a child to convince people to put the kick feature in. It makes 100% sense.
I got fined for kicking one of these, tried explaining to the officer hands have germs and they laughed at me, reckon I could get my money back
@@kimbaforrall864 Such an obvious lie (lol), please bring me the law stating someone can't kick a crosswalk button. I won't wait, It doesnt exist. Also if you care so much about germs just carry hand sanitizer with you, otherwise stop being full of soy.
EDIT: All I was saying is that the story was odd, 99% of officers wouldn't even care about such a minor thing and why would you be kicking a crosswalk button in the first place? When you can use sanitizer or your elbow. Sounds like someone was stupid imo.
@@benjamingavrilis71 it was for damaging public property or something along them lines this was about 18 years ago no word of a lie
@@benjamingavrilis71 Lol you sound so stupid, you realise it can easily be classed as damaging public property?
@@imadeyoureadthis1500 Don't wonder how an anime fan could make stupid claims
This is interested as I've never left Victoria so I kind of always took the crossing buttons for granted, no idea it was a marvel in design.
That sound is one of those things that immediately brings back memories to my Italian brain from when I was living in Straya and it feels so good.
Too bad there’s no traffic lights in the countryside, like some intersections in Margaret River could really use some of those
It's a simple mechanical design. Essentially a relay that turns on and off at a certain frequency. We investigated how it works at an electromechanical course at uni. Fascinating how simple it is.
Very cool project
Simplicity equals reliability, and it also meant they could spend most of the design budget making them just insanely tough. I can hardly describe how much I love the ridiculous, over-the-top robustness of PB/5s, often times on late night walks I'll literally kick the buttons as hard as I can, just to enjoy the sheer invulnerability of them. I swear they must sometimes survive traffic-into-pole collisions well enough to be salvaged and put up again.
@@aezakmi42 The Aussie Nokia of the world !
As an Australian I never realised how good the pedestrian crossing buttons are.
Like the sound isn't annoying and is actually helpful.
Visually it's fine.
It's become a staple of commuting anywhere.
And most impressive, it can handle dozens of flying kicks from teenagers everyday.
Fucking lol
Yeah our teenagers are brutal
What’s fun about the PB/5 is that the clicking is often made using an electromagnet that actually *kicks* a metal flap. While it’s not as flexible as a speaker, it’s simple, cheap, and rather reliable.
Most US crosswalks now use similar buttons (they’ve been mandated since the early 2000s), but use a speaker for the nose as the ADA requires a crosswalk signal be able to tell you which street your crossing.
Did you know that these buttons have the earliest form of AI embedded... if you press it repeatedly, the unit will sense you are in a hurry, and change the lights quickly.... ;) (at least that's what I tell myself!)
Seems legit. :)
Everyone uses this method, there’s scientific proof this works
If you stop at the lights in your car, you jump out run press the button on the other side so your light turns green faster 🤣
I used to the think pressing the button repeatedly would make the system think there are a lot of people waiting to cross, make the lights turn green faster. Ditto for lift call buttons.
Depends on whether the control equipment is set to register only one pulse input or multiple pulse inputs
There’s a set of lights near my friend’s house which don’t make a sound and I never feel comfortable crossing the road there even when I know it’s green.
I know someone who had the sound as a ringtone. You could do that and just press play when you need sound on demand.
@@JulianOShea You have to be careful with that! My brother can do a spot on impersonation and often does it unconsciously while waiting. One time he didn't notice a vision impaired fellow pedestrian was standing next to us, and he switched into the crossing sound. We had to pull the poor guy out of the path of oncoming traffic. He's doesn't do that impersonation quite so often now.
@@jimmux_v0 Yikes! Must be an excellent impression.
Damn so ur mind can’t let u cross just by looking at the lights? Ur like addicted to the sound I guess...U live in Australia I assume? I live in manhattan (nyc) and our lights can make a sound if u push it but since they’re placebo (like said in this video it’s automated, just makes people feel like they’re affecting something when they press it), u don’t have to press them, most people don’t... but I can’t imagine feeling scared to cross/ not trusting the green light just cuz u don’t hear a sound! Sounds like it conditioned you in a bad way lol
The ones we have here in Sweden are similar in sound and suck, but instead of featuring just a tactile arrow showing the direction, they have a small tactile model of the crossing, so if you are visually impaired you can "feel" how many lanes you have to cross and from which direction the traffic would be. I think that's pretty neat
We have these in New Zealand too. Never thought much of them but I guess they are pretty neat
Finland has sorted almost everything else out, design wise...but their traffic crossing sounds are inconsistent between districts and even between crossings.
The PB/5 is the one thing we have on them in the world of design.
It’s so cool to view your country through the eyes of a tourist. I would have assumed that everyone had these buttons 😂
EDIT: I stand corrected, apparently not all Melbourne ones CLACK, some BIP too. But I what I can say with certainty is that I have never come across a clacker in Sydney, only bippers.
The Sydney and Melbourne PB/5 sounds are distinctly different, the former beeps and the latter just clicks. Also the Sydney buttons do not have the little red/green light on the button itself.
I think we have the same ones as Sydney in New Zealand
Ive never noticed Melbourne's just clicks. Im pretty sure it has both just in different areas because im sire I've heard the beep sound in Melbourne
Yeah Brisbane's sound like the ones demonstrated by Eillish in this video, and completely *un*like the examples shown by this video's creator, which seem to me to be a lot less distinctive and clear.
@@jimon8998 there are beeping ones in melbourne 100%
@@JimCullen I'm in Melbourne (which has both, but mostly the clackers), and while the sound on the beepers is clearer, I wouldn't say it's more distinct; nothing on a city corner really sounds like either.
But I do think the clackers might be better for deaf people, because in my experience, the reverberation is stronger. If you put your hand on the arrow, you can feel the system better when it's one of the clackers.
I was 14yo kid when I first heard the sound, on his first international trip to Sydney with my mom visiting my sister there. I’m gonna cry now 😢
This model is also used in Ireland - interested to know where else they might be used
They also use these in NZ. Can’t deny the Aussies outdid us on this one
@Tricky MCB Gaming you better not come here and say that lol.
@Tricky MCB Gaming Oceania or austraLASIA is the continent not a country extension of austraLIA
@Tricky MCB Gaming never said Australia wasn't a country buddy, but you're very misinformed on the fact that nz is part of that. NZ and Australia are only related in the fact they're in the same continent of australasia/Oceania the same as China and Japan are only related as both countries in Asia
@@tatebreeds4823
They're not even on the same continent. NZ is on Zeelandia and Australia is on Oceania.
In Germany, there are 2 buttons: 1 underneath for vision impaired to press so that the sound turns on otherwise there is normally no sound.
The same button is used in Dublin (and possibly other places in Ireland) and a lot of them have been outfitted with touchless buttons during Covid-19.
One “problem” with the sound is that a lot of inattentive people (e.g looking at their phone) use the “pew” to start crossing, even if it’s only the light in the other direction that went green. Probably a compounding effect is that most pedestrian crosses turn green in both directions at the same time.
I always thought making the sound come from across the street, in the direction of the cross, but I didn’t consider noise pollution.
Dublin has the exact same buttons! I mostly rely on the noise so i dont have to squint my eyes looking up at the bright sun or get rain in my face
Learnt something here. I assumed these buttons were one of those international standards. Now, if I ever need a theme to travel the world with it'll be discovering new pedestrian button designs.
The kicking the button I think is a universal thing. Here in the US I’ve used two types of crosswalk button, one (which has none of these features) is just a convex button that you can really nail with anything from your head to your foot and not hurt it. The new ones I don’t like, which have the tactile arrows and sounds but you’ve got to push them pretty hard to get them to activate, and they’re set into a little pocket so you can’t kick them.
The mechanical design of that button is also awesome. I realised I was a proper nerd the day I got super excited to learn about the clever design of this Aussie icon.
I remember when the PB5 first came out one of the first things I said was how good the design is and how nice the sound is so I totally agree that it’s an Australian icon in design
We have these in Ireland as well, specifically the ones at 3:55, even made it into a Versatile song as well
The sound is generated by the Audio tactile driver mounted on a traffic signal pole where the push-button is mounted. The driver is connected to a speaker/transducer in push-button. Fun fact if you damage the metal arrow then the metal arrow cannot be used to vibrate the tone and you will essentially mute it. Despite the automatic adjusting volume, some people will still complain about the noise and after enough complaints, it will be considered that the auto tactile pedestrian facility be turned off (some people have also been known to damage the push-button to "mute" the sound).
Thanks for the video. It is good that the simple crosswalk push-button is getting some recognition.
Awesome. You know your PB/5s - thanks for that insight.
I was looking for this comment.
Am i the only one who tries to press the button in time with the beeping noise when you're waiting to cross? So fun.
Isaac, that's great! Just visit the comment I've left at the top of the page. :)
I used to hold the tactile arrow in hard, then when the 'pew' sound goes off, it's extra loud.
@@Milaaq302 yo have you ever put your ear up to the arrow? It's so loud it's painful. Don't recommend. But it is rather fun.
I hear you .. and I agree (now you've pointed it out) that it's an amazing bit of hardware and sound design.
However, in 1982 I was impressed with Japans sound system because they used bird twitter and it was different for each crossing at a cross road. It meant that (and this happens in Melbourne) you couldn't mess up which light was green, yours - with starling song, or theirs with robin tweets. I do get caught stepping off on the wrong cross walk, while listening for the green light.
Interesting video. As a Melbourne local, it'd never even crossed my mind that how our crosswalk buttons would work compared to the rest of the worlds. It's just one of those things you take for granted and never really think about I suppose.
I can't believe you made a video on this! One of my memories from living in Australia is actually the sound of these crosswalks! Amazing!
I had a pedestrian crossing down the street from my home which was on a quiet little road off a main street. During the day the ambient noise drowned out the crossing beepers but, at night, during a still, windless and low traffic night these sounds still into your brain. Especially when they are set to repeat in a traffic signal cycle. I kid you not...I thought of a few ways to destroy these things while lying in bed hearing the cycle repeating hundreds of times.
I do believe they are an amazingly clever des8gn and I remember when they were initially rolled out. There were some models which included a small panel on the arrow for a slight electric pulse to alert the blind and deaf of the change of signal. I used to love feeling that pulsing. Super cool!!
Would've been nice if you'd called them 'pedestrian crossings' seeing as you were taking about an Australian crossing button, instead of the American 'crosswalk'.
I'd also liked to have heard about some other buttons from around the world and what makes ours so much better.
Too right. I can't stand the homogenisation of languages and the loss of dialects. It's part of what gives the world its charm, having such a diversity of communication across the globe.
My daughters say candy and soda and it irks me to no end. I just say we don't have that in Australia.
@Lionel Hutz Gonna have to disagree on 'candy'. It can be a verb or an adjective in Australia (e.g. to candy some onion/ candied onion), but to use it as a noun is very American. We have toffee apples here (theoretically anyway, though I know 'candy apples' have developed a life of their own), and chocolate bars and jellybeans and things are lollies or sweets.
@Lionel Hutz God, been a while since I've thought of Peter Combe, haha.
Funny how a bunch of American words are actually more authentically old English than what is used in England and Australia today.
@Lionel Hutz innit? I take it your brittish
Ours in New Zealand are basically the same except we've got nicer sounds. I've never really thought about how well-designed it is
This video is about the origin of the invention not who has a better version of it.
When the world opens up again I'll have to visit NZ to hear their pedestrian crossing sounds. 😉 I'll compare them to NSW's (which is the beepy version Billy Eilish played on her phone, not the clicky ones in most of the video).
Meh never made a Billie song tho did it
Most countries I've visited have visual, audio and tactile feedback on their pedestrian crossings.
When we were little everytime we crossed a road with one of them we would literally not stop tapping it until it went green or our Mum told us to stop.
same!! always used to think it would turn green quicker
I always tried to click the button when the sound went off, or I just clicked it really fast to be annoying, one of the two
Usually these things are at slightly above waist level for me, so I've gotten in to the habit of striking the button with my knee to save hand-transmission.
Elbow for me.
I step in dog shit then kick it, stops people repeatedly pressing it after me
I hit it with a fist so you have a barely used part of your hand touching it
Crosswalks near me:
- Tactile buttons in direction of cross
- Button vibrates when it is time to cross
- beeping when you should wait or not start crossing
- Voice line "[Street name] - walk sign is on to cross" (repeats until continue crossing)
- Holding button: voice line "Wait to cross [Street name] at [cross street]"
- once button is pressed, the led is illuminated. it will speak "Wait"
Although the Melbourne buttons are superior in their casing, having the red indicator and more of them having the tactile arrow, I still contest that the Sydney beep is better than the Melbourne clack. It just sounds better, and also changes pitch between walk and don't-walk
Melbourne buttons beep too (or at least they used to if they don't amymore)! It's an iconic sound lol
Lots of Melbourne ones beep
All the melbourne ones I’ve ever heard (mostly in the suburbs, not the CBD) beep. Never heard that clack.
Ive seen beeping ones in Melbourne with the indicator led.
Melbourne has the “clack” and the “beep”. I think the clack model is older.
This design/sound is so amazing that the sound was made into another song called 'Crossing Lights' after Giuseppe Ottaviani heard it during a visit to Melbourne 6-7 years ago.
They have ones that are touch free in front of the royal children’s hospital, haven’t seen them anywhere else but its so cool!! you just wave your hand past it and it even lights up
Those light-up, non-slip pads are pretty awesome. In the chill months, when my glasses are fogged up (because wearing a mask), they are way easier to see than the light on the other side of the street. Also, that idea for kick-buttons is brilliant.
I’m down for a kick button. Or a button card have to push.
You missed the bit about how the red light on it tells you whether it's been triggered or not! That's my favourite part, no need to click the button if someone has already :)
I've never seen one with a light in Brisbane.
@@nerd1000ify I'm in Sydney and I've never noticed one with its light on, either. Unfortunately I don't think most of those lights are even working, or I would have definitely noticed it more often. I'm assuming that they always break and the council has better things to do than replacing little flashing lights :(
@@cawmellian3394 In Brisbane they don't even have the lights there
Julian, you forgot to mention that the most important feature of these new PB/5 buttons is that they cannot be damaged (easily). Before these metal buttons, we had the ones with plastic buttons and they kept breaking all the time. The PB/5 buttons were designed so that the button can be pushed numerous or even kicked without breaking the mechanism inside.
Indeed - I made a sequel to this video (about Singapore’s button) and covered this.
My old house had a pb5 at an intersection almost 1klm away. I could hear it beep on quiet sleepless nights at 3am.
Yeah… probably too loud that one.
@@JulianOShea ya think...🤣🤣🤣
now it is in my head. Thank you.