Interface design in the city

This morning on my usual early bus ride to work I encountered an example of screwy interface design on the bus. Let me preface by noting the wonderful temperature outside this morning, -35 C and with the windchill it is -46 C. (the temp relates to the interface) I was siting on one of the new bus designs by New Flyer. The bus manufacture is located in Winnipeg so the city gets the new buses for demos (I think). So there I am all bundeled up on the bus as are all the other riders, and I start to notice that no one can open the back doors to get off the bus. What is the problem, the door sensor!!! everyone is so covered in hats, scarves, mits, gloves, masks, giant parkas that no skin is showing. what type of sensor are they using on the door….heat. So everyone is pushing on the door with no success, in my brilliance I yell out "take off your gloves and put your hand under the sensor!!" et voila the door she open!.

I started thinking how technology can separate us from or environments even when the point is to aid us, or more blunty the stupid designs that dont take into account how people opperate in the world. heat sensors in the winter…stupid!!
After I got over that internal rant I also started to think about the "general public", meaning people who use techonogy everyday but are not interested in what or how the tech works. Is there a bigger gap between those who build and those who use? Are most people going about there days oblivioius to their intergration with technology? Are engineers and designers to blame by hiding the interfaces too well or is the public to blame for not noticing?
Does it matter?
Anyone have any other goofy interface stories?