The need for such a device arises for Jews who observe Sabbath laws and are prohibited from operating electrical machinery. Instead of having to press an electric button to operate the crossing system, the traffic lights will automatically turn red giving a chance for pedestrians to cross.[citation needed]
Similar arrangements also occur in other places. In Highland Park, New Jersey, pedestrian crossing lights cycle automatically on the Sabbath, though they are operated by buttons during the week.[citation needed]
^Dundes, Alan (21 January 2002). The Shabbat Elevator and other Sabbath Subterfuges: An Unorthodox Essay on Circumventing Custom and Jewish Character. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 40. ISBN978-1-4616-4560-3.
