Traffic Lights

Lesson 9
History of Traffic Lights
Before automobiles even swarmed
over the roads and streets, there
was a need to control traffic to avoid
accidents and keep vehicles moving
smoothly.
December 10, 1868 — The first gas-lit
traffic lights were installed outside the
Houses of Parliament in London.
Proposed by British railway engineer J.P.
Knight to control the traffic of horse
carriages, gas lights were manually
controlled by a police officer using
semaphore arms. At night, gas-lit red and
green lights were used, but still changed
by a police officer. The lights became a
safety hazard as they sometimes
exploded and injured police officers.
1912 — A traffic control device was
placed on top of a tower in Paris at the
Rue Montmartre and Grande
Boulevard, with a revolving four-sided
metal box on top of a glass showcase
where the word “Stop” was painted in
red and the word “Go” painted in white.
1912 — As automobile traffic
increased, American policeman
Lester Wire designed the first electric
traffic light. It was first installed in
Cleveland, Ohio, on August 5, 1914,
at the corner of 105th and Euclid
Avenue.
1917 — First interconnected traffic
signal system installed in Salt Lake
City, with six connected intersections
controlled simultaneously from a
manual switch.
1920 — William Potts, a Detroit
policeman, invented the first four-
way and three-colored traffic lights.
He introduced yellow lights to
indicate the light would change
soon. Detroit became the first city to
implement the four-way and three-
colored traffic lights.
1920 — Los Angeles installs five
signals on Broadway manufactured by
the Acme Traffic Signal Co. The
signals paired “Stop” and “Go”
semaphore arms with small red and
green lights and bells that rang just
before the flags changed.
1920s — In a predominately Irish
neighborhood in Syracuse, New
York, traffic lights were vandalized
frequently. The Irish citizens
objected to the red light on top,
which they viewed as a symbol of
British oppression of Ireland
(represented by green lights at the
bottom). City officials flipped the
signals in that neighborhood to have
green lights on top.
1923 — Garrett Morgan received a
patent for an electric traffic signal.
The African American inventor
owned a sewing machine company
in Cleveland and, after witnessing a
horrific accident, worked on his
automated traffic signal system. GE
paid him $40,000 for the invention.
1928 — Charles Adler Jr. developed
a sonically actuated traffic light. To
operate it, drivers pulled up to a red
light and honked their horns to make
the light change. Installed in
Baltimore, it was the first actuated
traffic signal in the United States and
served as the basis for modern traffic
signals.
1929 — Adler also invented a
pedestrian push button, which was
installed in Baltimore—the first
pedestrian-actuated signal.

1950s — Computerized detection

used in traffic lights. A pressure plate
was placed at intersections so
computers would know that a car was
waiting at the red light.
1960s — As computers improved,
they could monitor traffic and change
lights in an even more efficient way.

1990s — The countdown timer was

introduced to traffic lights to help
pedestrians know whether they have
enough time to cross the road before
the signal changes color.
2010s — Connected vehicles can
communicate with traffic signals and
other vehicles. This can vastly
improve speed, timing, and efficiency
at intersections—perhaps as much
as 40 percent as more vehicles get
connected, according to Washington
State University research.
Traffic Light Signals – is a power
operated traffic control device
by which traffic is warned or directed
to take some specific actions.
RED SIGNAL
means you must bring your
vehicle to a stop at a clearly
marked line. You may
proceed unless you are
instructed to do so
by an authorized Traffic
Officer.
FLASHING RED SIGNAL
means bring your vehicle to
a stop and proceed only
when it is safe to do so.
YELLOW / AMBER
SIGNAL indicates
that the red signal is
about to appear.
Prepare to stop.
FLASHING YELLOW
BEACON
When a flashing yellow
signal is incorporated with
an overhead beacon or a
beacon located directly
above a warning sign , it
warns you to proceed with
caution.
YELLOW ARROW
In some traffic signal , a
yellow arrow appear after a
green arrow. When the
yellow arrow appears, it
means the red or solid
green signal is about to
appear. Therefore , stop the
vehicle safely. If it cannot be
done, proceed with caution.
GREEN SIGNAL
A green signal means you
can proceed , provided you
yield to pedestrian and other
road-users lawfully using
the intersection.
When making a turn on a
green signal , remember
that the pedestrian crossing
on the green signal
have the right of way. Be
sure that you do not block
the traffic.
When a flashing left or
right green arrow
together with a green
signal is used, it permits
the vehicle facing that
signal to turn left, turn
right or go through while
opposing traffic faces a
red signal.