Traffic lights (or traffic signals) are signalling devices used to control the movement of traffic. They are placed at road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations and the different colors of lights tell drivers what to do.
Traffic lights are called robots in South Africa and much of the rest of the African continent.
The world's first traffic light system was invented by the British railroad signal engineer JP Knight. These first traffic lights consisted of revolving red and green lanterns, illuminated by gas. The system was installed on December 10, 1868 at the intersection of George and Bridge Streets in front of the House of Commons in London to control the flow of horse buggies and pedestrians.
This traffic light system was manually operated by a police officer. Semaphore arms were used by day, gas lights by night.
After less than a month's use, the gas lantern that illuminated them exploded, seriously injuring the police officer who was operating them. Traffic lights did not return to the UK until the mid 1920s.
In the first two decades of the 20th century, semaphore traffic were in use all over the United States with each state having its own design of the device. They were controlled by a traffic officer who would blow a whistle before changing the commands on this signal to help alert travelers of the change.
The first electric traffic lights were officially unveiled in Cleveland, Ohio at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street in 1914. There was no amber light, only red and green.
After witnessing a serious accident between a motor vehicle and a horse-drawn carriage at an intersection, African American inventor, Garrett Morgan set out to come up with a three-position traffic signal. What he came up with was a T-shaped pole unit that featured Stop, Go and an all-directional stop position. This "third position" halted traffic in all directions to allow pedestrians to cross streets more safely. The patent was granted on November 20, 1923.
Garrett Morgan's hand-cranked semaphore traffic management device was in use throughout North America until all manual traffic signals were replaced by the automatic red, yellow, and green-light traffic signals currently used around the world.
Morgan sold the rights to his traffic signal to the General Electric Corporation for $40,000.
Morgan's system was not the first with a warning, a three light system having being invented in 1920 by a police officer William Potts, and previous systems having audible warnings.
The use of red for stop, green for go and amber for caution originated with railway signals.
The first three-color signals in Britain were installed at Threadneedle Street, London in 1925. They were operated by policemen and each change of aspect was marked by the ringing of an electric bell. Complaints from locals soon silenced that.
The first fully automatic set of traffic lights in Britain were installed at the junction of Lichfield Street and Princess Street in Wolverhampton in 1927. In reality they were a signal box, suspended from a cable.
In 1928, American engineer Charles Adler Jr invented traffic lights that were activated by drivers sounding their car horns. They were quickly abandoned when residents complained about the excessive honking noise.
Six years after Garrett A. Morgan invented traffic lights, cars were flooding New York City's streets and numerous complaints were received from drivers concerning pedestrians straying into their paths. The city fathers decided it might be a good idea to install some of the newfangled contraptions. After studying traffic plans in other cities they rejected the wide use of yellow lights being used to slow motorists down before they came to a red light. According to The New York Times the yellow caution light was abandoned in the city because it was a "temptation to motorists to rush through intersections."
In 1929 the first red and green signal lights were placed at Manhattan street corners. These two-light traffic signal were topped by statues of Mercury and lasted until 1964.
Hungarian-American physicist Leó Szilárd conceived of the idea of the nuclear chain reaction in 1933 while waiting for a traffic light in Bloomsbury, London.
On May 17, 1996 New Hampshire became the first US state to install a green LED traffic light. New Hampshire was selected because it was the first state to install the red and yellow variety statewide.
In 2013, Los Angeles became the first city to install traffic lights that make automatic adjustments based on car flow, reducing travel time. Nearly 4,400 lights across 469 miles receive real-time updates about traffic flow to make second-by-second adjustments. The system limits congestion by up to 16% while also dramatically reducing idling time.
In France the stop signs say "STOP" but the upstarts over in Quebec use "ARRET."
Japan has a very blue shade of green traffic lights in some areas because historically the Japanese used the same word for green and blue. They are green enough to satisfy international regulations.
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| Pixiebay |
Traffic lights are called robots in South Africa and much of the rest of the African continent.
HISTORY
The world's first traffic light system was invented by the British railroad signal engineer JP Knight. These first traffic lights consisted of revolving red and green lanterns, illuminated by gas. The system was installed on December 10, 1868 at the intersection of George and Bridge Streets in front of the House of Commons in London to control the flow of horse buggies and pedestrians.
This traffic light system was manually operated by a police officer. Semaphore arms were used by day, gas lights by night.
After less than a month's use, the gas lantern that illuminated them exploded, seriously injuring the police officer who was operating them. Traffic lights did not return to the UK until the mid 1920s.
In the first two decades of the 20th century, semaphore traffic were in use all over the United States with each state having its own design of the device. They were controlled by a traffic officer who would blow a whistle before changing the commands on this signal to help alert travelers of the change.
The first electric traffic lights were officially unveiled in Cleveland, Ohio at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street in 1914. There was no amber light, only red and green.
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| The first Electric Traffic Light in Bucharest c1924. |
After witnessing a serious accident between a motor vehicle and a horse-drawn carriage at an intersection, African American inventor, Garrett Morgan set out to come up with a three-position traffic signal. What he came up with was a T-shaped pole unit that featured Stop, Go and an all-directional stop position. This "third position" halted traffic in all directions to allow pedestrians to cross streets more safely. The patent was granted on November 20, 1923.
 |
| Patent drawing of Morgan's signal |
Garrett Morgan's hand-cranked semaphore traffic management device was in use throughout North America until all manual traffic signals were replaced by the automatic red, yellow, and green-light traffic signals currently used around the world.
Morgan sold the rights to his traffic signal to the General Electric Corporation for $40,000.
Morgan's system was not the first with a warning, a three light system having being invented in 1920 by a police officer William Potts, and previous systems having audible warnings.
The use of red for stop, green for go and amber for caution originated with railway signals.
The first three-color signals in Britain were installed at Threadneedle Street, London in 1925. They were operated by policemen and each change of aspect was marked by the ringing of an electric bell. Complaints from locals soon silenced that.
The first fully automatic set of traffic lights in Britain were installed at the junction of Lichfield Street and Princess Street in Wolverhampton in 1927. In reality they were a signal box, suspended from a cable.
In 1928, American engineer Charles Adler Jr invented traffic lights that were activated by drivers sounding their car horns. They were quickly abandoned when residents complained about the excessive honking noise.
Six years after Garrett A. Morgan invented traffic lights, cars were flooding New York City's streets and numerous complaints were received from drivers concerning pedestrians straying into their paths. The city fathers decided it might be a good idea to install some of the newfangled contraptions. After studying traffic plans in other cities they rejected the wide use of yellow lights being used to slow motorists down before they came to a red light. According to The New York Times the yellow caution light was abandoned in the city because it was a "temptation to motorists to rush through intersections."
In 1929 the first red and green signal lights were placed at Manhattan street corners. These two-light traffic signal were topped by statues of Mercury and lasted until 1964.
Hungarian-American physicist Leó Szilárd conceived of the idea of the nuclear chain reaction in 1933 while waiting for a traffic light in Bloomsbury, London.
On May 17, 1996 New Hampshire became the first US state to install a green LED traffic light. New Hampshire was selected because it was the first state to install the red and yellow variety statewide.
 |
| LED traffic lights in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden Wikipedia |
In 2013, Los Angeles became the first city to install traffic lights that make automatic adjustments based on car flow, reducing travel time. Nearly 4,400 lights across 469 miles receive real-time updates about traffic flow to make second-by-second adjustments. The system limits congestion by up to 16% while also dramatically reducing idling time.
FUN TRAFFIC LIGHT FACTS
In France the stop signs say "STOP" but the upstarts over in Quebec use "ARRET."
Japan has a very blue shade of green traffic lights in some areas because historically the Japanese used the same word for green and blue. They are green enough to satisfy international regulations.
Japanese bus drivers turn their vehicle off at red lights to reduce pollution.
The average person will spend about two weeks of their lives sitting at traffic lights!
In 1995, drivers in the Albanian city of Shkodra refused to pay a new traffic-light tax on the grounds that their city had no traffic lights.
Colors of traffic lights are confusing to some color blind people, as there is insufficient apparent difference between the red/amber traffic lights. In the Eastern provinces of Canada horizontally mounted traffic lights are generally differentiated by shape to facilitate identification for those with color blindness.
Tipperary Hill, New York has a traffic light with the lights upside down - the historically Irish residents kept smashing the light that had "British" red above "Irish" green, so it was changed.
Sources Unbelievable Facts Geoff Tibballs, Daily Express.
The average person will spend about two weeks of their lives sitting at traffic lights!
In 1995, drivers in the Albanian city of Shkodra refused to pay a new traffic-light tax on the grounds that their city had no traffic lights.
Colors of traffic lights are confusing to some color blind people, as there is insufficient apparent difference between the red/amber traffic lights. In the Eastern provinces of Canada horizontally mounted traffic lights are generally differentiated by shape to facilitate identification for those with color blindness.
Tipperary Hill, New York has a traffic light with the lights upside down - the historically Irish residents kept smashing the light that had "British" red above "Irish" green, so it was changed.
Sources Unbelievable Facts Geoff Tibballs, Daily Express.
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ReplyDeleteVery well done. Absolutely brilliant information. I'm in love with this blog. they always provide such a great information. traffic lighting
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