AKA Pseudonym posted:

Why would old ladies need this help anyway? Just wait for the light and cross. If some rear end in a top hat runs the red and smashes into you being near a Boy Scout isn't going to help. Maybe it was a thing before traffic lights were invented and somebody more agile could help them navigate the speeding horses and buggies and poo poo?

It is or at least was commonly used in a humous way to denote over the top chivalry. And maybe it always was because it's a pretty useless gesture. But I get the feeling it was a real thing at some point. So what's the deal with that poo poo?