[sciurius]

You totally depend on the other co-player sharing the same desk and you get use to it.

Yes. In this case you have a visual hint that the music is going to change (you see your collegue moving towards the music stand from the corner of your eye), also you know almost precisely when it is going to happen.

With pedal control, you do not have these clues and you (at least, I) may be distracted and lose track.