  Oscillatory flow patterns have been observed in many different driven
many-particle systems. The conventional assumption is that the reason for
emergent oscillations in opposing flows is an increased efficiency
(throughput). In this contribution, however, we will study intersecting
pedestrian and vehicle flows as an example for inefficient emergent
oscillations. In the coupled vehicle-pedestrian delay problem, oscillating
pedestrian and vehicle flows form when pedestrians cross the street with a
small time gap to approaching cars, while both pedestrians and vehicles
benefit, when they keep some overcritical time gap. That is, when the safety
time gap of pedestrians is increased, the average delay time of pedestrians
decreases and the vehicle flow goes up. This may be interpreted as a
slower-is-faster effect. The underlying mechanism of this effect is explained
in detail.
