About those pedestrian crossing buttons...
One example of how Eugene prioritizes cars over people-- at many intersections throughout the city, we have what are known as "beg buttons," those little buttons you have to press to get the walk single. Now, these serve a purpose at intersections where the light is tripped by a sensor. However, all too often the light will be on an automatic timing cycle or a car or bike will trip the light, turning it green for vehicles, but the little red hand remains preventing pedestrians from crossing even though it is safe to do so. Beg buttons may need to remain to serve as a sensor for pedestrians when lights aren't automatically timed, but every time the light turns green for cars, it should automatically turn green for pedestrians-- without us having to beg for it.
“This is problematic for a number of reasons, but the biggest is the obvious prioritization of car movement over pedestrian movement. Do car-drivers have to pull up to each intersection, lean out their window and push a button in order to get a green light? No, they just wait and the light appears. ”