Traffic Lights
Created | Updated Jan 21, 2005
Pre-amble
This article was originally written as Traffic Lights by a brave and handsome researcher named "M@" - okay, so it was me, before I lost my researcher identity and claimed this one. The original title remains and the content is changed only slightly.
Introduction
The idea for this brief guide was conceived after a conversation between Foologram and Garius Lupus was over-read, questioning the traffic light sequence in the peer review banner. The focus of this artical is intended to be traffic lights the world over, but inevitably, as the researcher is from the UK, more detail is provided on the subject locally.
History
Stop someone in the street and ask for directions. Their answer, more than likely, will include a reference such as "turn left at the second set of lights" or "go straight through at the lights". This familiarity is not surprising when you consider that a "traffic lantern" offering red and green signals was introduced at a crossroads outside the Houses of Parliament in London, England as early as 1868, as it was gas powered lighting, we possibly shouldn't be surprised that it blew-up in 1869! This explosion halted further experiments with traffic controls in the UK for quite some time.
The first automatic traffic light to appear in the UK was installed in Wolverhampton in 1926. It remained in service until 1968.
In the meantime, across the atlantic Police Officer William Potts had created the first automated road traffic lights in 1920 in Detroit, Michigan. Significantly, Potts was the first to use red, amber and green lights in his control signal, created from railway lights, wire and electrical controls.
At about the same time, Garrett Morgan from Cleveland, Ohio created a semaphore based automatic signal with an "all stop" phase to allow pedestrians to cross the road safely.
These inventions formed the basis for what is a very common roadside sight today.
Differences
Unsurprisingly, given the differences that exist with traffic laws as you travel around the globe, there are regional differences in traffic lights too.
Differences 1 - Naming
In South Africa traffic lights are called "robots".BR/>
Differences 2 - Light Phasing
In the UK the light sequence is as follows; red, red+amber, green, amber, red. Which includes an additional phase to much of the rest of the world, being red+amber or get ready to go.
Traffic Law (UK)
Here's a "true" story - the names have been changed to protect the guilty... John drives his car through a green light and hits the side of Bill who's jumped the red light. Sadly for Bill, there's a traffic camera which takes an image of Bill jumping the light. Sadly for John, the Police prosecute him too, his offence is driving without due care and attention - a green light means "proceed if it's safe to do so", similar to a "Give Way" sign, not GO!
And Finally
Why did the street light blush? Because it saw the traffic lights changing...
This article was originally written as Traffic Lights by a brave and handsome researcher named "M@" - okay, so it was me, before I lost my researcher identity and claimed this one. The original title remains and the content is changed only slightly.
Introduction
The idea for this brief guide was conceived after a conversation between Foologram and Garius Lupus was over-read, questioning the traffic light sequence in the peer review banner. The focus of this artical is intended to be traffic lights the world over, but inevitably, as the researcher is from the UK, more detail is provided on the subject locally.
History
Stop someone in the street and ask for directions. Their answer, more than likely, will include a reference such as "turn left at the second set of lights" or "go straight through at the lights". This familiarity is not surprising when you consider that a "traffic lantern" offering red and green signals was introduced at a crossroads outside the Houses of Parliament in London, England as early as 1868, as it was gas powered lighting, we possibly shouldn't be surprised that it blew-up in 1869! This explosion halted further experiments with traffic controls in the UK for quite some time.
The first automatic traffic light to appear in the UK was installed in Wolverhampton in 1926. It remained in service until 1968.
In the meantime, across the atlantic Police Officer William Potts had created the first automated road traffic lights in 1920 in Detroit, Michigan. Significantly, Potts was the first to use red, amber and green lights in his control signal, created from railway lights, wire and electrical controls.
At about the same time, Garrett Morgan from Cleveland, Ohio created a semaphore based automatic signal with an "all stop" phase to allow pedestrians to cross the road safely.
These inventions formed the basis for what is a very common roadside sight today.
Differences
Unsurprisingly, given the differences that exist with traffic laws as you travel around the globe, there are regional differences in traffic lights too.
Differences 1 - Naming
In South Africa traffic lights are called "robots".BR/>
Differences 2 - Light Phasing
In the UK the light sequence is as follows; red, red+amber, green, amber, red. Which includes an additional phase to much of the rest of the world, being red+amber or get ready to go.
Traffic Law (UK)
Here's a "true" story - the names have been changed to protect the guilty... John drives his car through a green light and hits the side of Bill who's jumped the red light. Sadly for Bill, there's a traffic camera which takes an image of Bill jumping the light. Sadly for John, the Police prosecute him too, his offence is driving without due care and attention - a green light means "proceed if it's safe to do so", similar to a "Give Way" sign, not GO!
And Finally
Why did the street light blush? Because it saw the traffic lights changing...
