[Sailor Steve]

I'm sure I've fallen for some of them, most likely the elevator "Close" buttons. That said, here in Salt Lake City the street "Walk" buttons certainly do have an effect - the opposite effect. No, they don't work in reverse, but if you don't push it in time the white "Walk" light won't come on, and the lights will change long before you get across the street. You have to push the button or wait for the next light.

On the other hand some of the older cars on our mass transit train, 'TRAX', have "Stop Request" buttons. They do ring a bell and make a "Stop Requested" light come on, but every time I see someone push it I have to resist the temptation to tell them that the train stops at every station, whether the button was pushed or not.