Lasu šodienas Word Spy ierakstu par mechanical placebo, un tur ir šāds ilustratīvais citāts no "The New York Times":

The city deactivated most of the pedestrian buttons long ago with the emergence of computer-controlled traffic signals, even as an unwitting public continued to push on, according to city Department of Transportation officials. More than 2,500 of the 3,250 walk buttons that still exist function essentially as mechanical placebos, city figures show. Any benefit from them is only imagined.
—Michael Luo, "For Exercise in New York Futility, Push Button," The New York Times, February 27, 2004

Forši, šur tur Rīgā (piem., pretī A.Deglava ielas Maximai) arī man liekas, ka pie gājēju pārejām uzstādītās spiežamās pogas ir nemazfunkcionējošas, lai gan šaubos, vai šeit tās sistēmas būtu tik advancētas kā aprakstīts citātā.