When there was a traffic light history. When was the first traffic light installed? Is it possible to prevent pathology - preventive measures

23.08.2023

05.08.2015 03.12.2015 by papar@zzi

As you know, you can only cross the road in the places provided for this and only at the green traffic light. But traffic lights appeared at our intersections not so long ago, before traffic controllers were involved in coordinating traffic. Who owns the palm? Today, on the Birthday of the Traffic Light, we will deal with this issue.

1. Inventors of the traffic light

The first person to think of installing a traffic light at a crossroads to regulate traffic was John Peak Knight, a Londoner and specialist in railway semaphores. The first traffic light designed by him was installed in the British capital on December 10, 1868 near the Houses of Parliament.

Switching signals was carried out manually using two semaphore arrows. In a horizontal position, they signaled "stop", and lowered at an angle of 45 ° - movement with caution. So that at night it was possible to identify the signal given by the arrows, a rotating gas lamp was used, which shone red or green.

In 1910, Ernst Sirrin of Chicago developed and patented the world's first automatic traffic light switching system. His traffic lights had two inscriptions Stop and Proceed without illumination.

Just a couple of years later, in 1912, a resident of Salt Lake City, Utah, whose name was Lester Wire, created the world's first electric traffic light, with two round signal lights of red and green. For unknown reasons, Vayr did not patent his invention.

The next name in traffic light history is James Hogue. On August 5, 1914, the American Traffic Light Company installed four Hog-designed electric traffic lights at the intersection of 105th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland.

The traffic lights were equipped with two light signals - red and green, and when switching they gave a sound signal. The whole system was controlled by a policeman who sat in a specially equipped glass box at the crossroads.

Six years later - in 1920 - traffic lights were installed in Detroit and New York, on which a yellow signal appeared. The people who developed them did not know each other: William Potts from Detroit and John F. Harris from New York.

Similar traffic lights were installed in 1922 in Paris at the intersection of Rivoli Street and Sevastopol Boulevard, as well as in Hamburg at Stephansplatz Square. In 1927, the same traffic lights appeared in Wolverhampton, England.

Often, the American inventor Garrett Morgan is often mentioned as the first inventor, who in 1923 received a patent for a traffic light of an original design. The first countdown traffic lights appeared in France in 1998.

As for the Soviet Union, the first traffic lights were installed here in the early 1930s. First, the traffic light appeared at the intersection of avenues on October 25 and the Volodarsky city of Leningrad (modern Nevsky and Liteiny avenues in St. Petersburg) on January 15, 1930. In Moscow, the first traffic light began work on December 30 of the same year at the corner of Petrovka and Kuznetsky Most.

2. Types of traffic lights

The most widely used street and road traffic lights. Among them, automobile and traffic lights for pedestrians stand out - these varieties are most often found on the roads of the whole world.

Automobile traffic lights. As a rule, there are traffic lights with round signals of three generally accepted colors: red, yellow and green. The order of colors is strictly regulated. If the signals are arranged vertically, then red is always on top, and green is on the bottom. If the traffic light is horizontal, then the red signal will be located on the left, and the green one on the right. Additional sections with arrows are often hung on car traffic lights.

A yellow signal almost everywhere means this: it is allowed to pass the stop line, but it is necessary to slow down when entering a section protected by a traffic light, ready for the traffic light to switch to red. This signal can also be orange.

Traffic lights for pedestrians installed in the immediate vicinity of the established transitions. There are usually only two signals on them - forbidding and allowing. Their appearance may vary. The most common signals are in the form of a silhouette of a person - standing or walking.

In some countries, in the USA for example, the red signal is made in the form of a raised palm. Sometimes, instead of men and palms, the inscriptions "Go" and "Do not go" are used. In Oslo, two standing red human figures are used as a traffic signal forbidding pedestrians.

Why such difficulties? This is done for the convenience of people with poor eyesight, as well as for those who have difficulty with color discrimination (color blindness). In addition, traffic lights in different countries are equipped with a sound signal.

3. Construction

What are traffic lights made of? There are several possible designs of traffic lights. The first option is traffic lights with incandescent or halogen lamps. Their design includes:

Lamp
Reflector
light filter
Fresnel lens
Visor.

Matrix of LEDs
Anti-vandal glass
Visor.

In Russia there is a monument to a traffic light.

It was installed in Novosibirsk in 2006.

Nadezhda Zaitseva

Colorful color presentation on traffic rules. The material is suitable for classes in the senior and preparatory groups.

The presentation will help teachers to make learning entertaining, interesting, playful, exciting, and the rules of the road will be easier to remember, as the material is presented

visual form.

1 slide title.

2 slide - definition. traffic light is, an optical device that supplies light signals regulating the movement of automobile, rail, water and other transport, as well as pedestrians at pedestrian crossings.

3 slide - After the first cars appeared on the roads along with horse-drawn carriages in the second half of the 19th century, it became necessary to streamline the movement of vehicles - speed and mobility were too different

4 slide - The first device appeared in 1868 near the building of the English Parliament in London. It was created by railway engineer John Peak Knight. Traffic light operated manually and had two semaphore arrows: raised horizontally meant signal "stop", and lowered at an angle of 45 ° - movement with caution. At night, a rotating gas lamp was used, with the help of which red signals were given, respectively. (forbidding) and green (allowing movement) colors.

5 slide - But on January 2, 1869, a tragedy occurred - this device exploded when the policeman assigned to it tried to turn it. The policeman was seriously injured and after that the idea of traffic regulation was implemented only after 40 years.

6 slide - But on January 2, 1869, a tragedy occurred - this device exploded when the policeman assigned to it tried to turn it. The policeman was seriously injured and after that the idea of traffic regulation was implemented only after 40 years. This system did not use illumination which made it difficult to use at night.

7 slide - In 1914, the first electric traffic light.

He worked with the help of electricity and gave signals with electric bulbs. Traffic light had two round signals, red and green. Commanded the signals traffic light traffic controller, which instead of a yellow signal gave a warning sound signal with a whistle.

8 slide - IN 1920 tricolor traffic lights using yellow were installed in Detroit and New York. The inventors were Williams Potts and John Harris.

9 slide - First tricolor traffic lights on the roads

10 slide - First in the USSR traffic light set on January 15, 1930 in Leningrad, at the intersection of Nevsky and Liteiny prospects. In Moscow, this traffic control system was installed on December 30, 1930. They placed it at the corner of Petrovka and Kuznetsky Most.

The third city equipped traffic light, became Rostov-on-Don.

11 slide - Moscow traffic light. Design traffic light of that time was made in the form of a clock face, where the arrow pointed to a colored field of green, yellow and red.

FACT: the arrangement of flowers in this design was not ordinary, but translated torn: green came on top, then yellow and red.

In 1949, a single placement of lights was introduced. traffic light: red - above, yellow - in the center, green - below.

12 slide - It's easy, without tension

(Only winks an eye,

Regulates movement

Those who go and go!

13 slide - The traffic light turned red,

And the flow of cars went

So, the path will become dangerous!

Don't rush to the road!

14 slide - On the cars, on the road

Take a closer look!

And stay a little longer:

It will be yellow ahead.

15 slide - Well, then it will light up,

Like grass, green light!

Need to make sure again

That there are no cars around.

16 slide - Look at the road on the left,

Look to the right next.

And go along "zebra" boldly,

Thank you traffic light!

17 slide - types of automobile traffic lights

18 slide - types of railway traffic lights

19 slide - traffic lights for route vehicles - trams, buses, trolleybuses.

Direct movement is allowed only if the lower and upper middle signals are turned on simultaneously; turn to the right - only with the simultaneous inclusion of the lower and upper right; turn to the left, as well as a turn - only with the simultaneous inclusion of the lower and upper left. If the upper three signals are on, and the lower one is off, then movement is prohibited.

20 slide - traffic lights for pedestrians.

21 slide - traffic light for cyclists.

22 slide - Red is more noticeable. He calls for caution, restrains us. Therefore, the red signal traffic light instructed to stop vehicles and pedestrians.

23 slide - Yellow color reminds us of the sun, which can be both a friend and an enemy (if overheated). The sun is like warns: "Attention! Be careful, don't rush!"

24 slide - Green color - green fields, forests, meadows. This color is associated with peace and relaxation. This is safety.

25 slide - cartoon about traffic lights and cars

26 slide - Day and night keeps watch,

By the road traffic light.

He is the color of his eyes

Saves us from trouble.

Be careful, don't rush

We don't run, we don't run!

Waiting quite a bit

We're going across the road!

In London near the British Parliament building. Its inventor, John Peak Knight, was a railway semaphore specialist. The traffic light was controlled manually and had two semaphore arrows: raised horizontally meant a stop signal, and lowered at an angle of 45 ° - movement with caution. At night, a rotating gas lamp was used, with the help of which signals of red and green colors were given, respectively. The traffic light was used to facilitate pedestrians crossing the street, and its signals were intended for vehicles - while pedestrians were walking, cars had to stop. On January 2, 1869, the traffic light's gas lamp exploded, injuring a policeman operating the traffic light.

The first automatic traffic light system (capable of switching without direct human intervention) was developed and patented in 1910 by Ernst Sirrin of Chicago. His traffic lights used unlit Stop and Proceed signs.

The inventor of the first electric traffic light is Lester Wire from Salt Lake City (Utah, USA). In 1912, he developed (but did not patent) a traffic light with two round electrical signals (red and green).

In connection with the history of the traffic light, the name of the American inventor Garrett Morgan is often mentioned. Garrett Morgan), who patented a traffic light of an original design in 1922. However, he went down in history by the fact that for the first time in the world, in addition to the technical design, he indicated the purpose in the patent: “The purpose of the product is to make the order of passage through the intersection independent of the person of the car owner.”

Types of traffic lights

Street and road traffic lights

Automobile traffic lights

The most common traffic lights with signals (usually round) of three colors: red, yellow (burns 0.5-1 sec.) and green. In some countries, including Russia, orange is used instead of yellow. Signals can be placed both vertically (with the red signal always at the top and the green signal at the bottom) and horizontally (with the red signal always on the left and the green signal on the right). In the absence of other, special traffic lights, they regulate the movement of all types of vehicles and pedestrians (but at the intersection there may be traffic without traffic lights). Sometimes traffic lights are supplemented with a special countdown display that shows how long the signal will be on. Most often, the countdown board is made for a green traffic light, but in some cases, the board also displays the remaining time of the red signal.

The main traffic signals are ubiquitous:

the red signal of the traffic light prohibits the passage of the stop line (in its absence, beyond the traffic light) or the vehicle in front of the area protected by the traffic light,
yellow allows passing the stop line, but requires a speed reduction to enter the area protected by a traffic light, readiness for the traffic light to switch to red,
green - allows movement at a speed not exceeding the maximum level for this highway.

It is common, but not universal, to use a combination of red and yellow signals to indicate the upcoming green signal. Sometimes a green signal turns on immediately after a red one without an intermediate yellow, but not vice versa. Details of the use of signals vary depending on the traffic rules adopted in a particular country.

Some traffic lights have one moon-white or several moon-white lights for a special vehicular lane that allows route traffic of motor vehicles. A moon-white signal is placed, as a rule, at non-standard intersections, on roads with a second double solid line, or in the case when one lane changes places with another (for example, when a tram line running along the center of the highway goes to the side of the road).

There are two sections of traffic lights - red and green. Such traffic lights are usually installed at points where cars are allowed to pass on an individual basis, for example, at border crossings, at the entrance or exit from a parking lot, a protected area, etc.

Flashing signals may also be given, the meaning of which depends on local legislation. In Russia and in many European countries, a flashing green signal indicates an upcoming switch to yellow. Cars approaching a traffic light with a flashing green signal can take timely braking measures to avoid entering the intersection guarded by the traffic light or crossing the prohibitory signal. In some provinces of Canada (Atlantic Coast, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta), a flashing green traffic light indicates permission to turn left and go straight (oncoming traffic is stopped by a red light). In British Columbia, a flashing green traffic light at an intersection means that there are no traffic lights on the intersecting road, but only stop signs (while the green flashing light is also on for oncoming traffic). A flashing yellow signal requires you to slow down to pass an intersection or pedestrian crossing as unregulated (for example, at night, when regulation is not required due to low traffic). Sometimes special traffic lights are used for these purposes, consisting of one flashing or two alternately flashing yellow sections. A flashing red signal may indicate an upcoming switch to green if there is no combination of red + yellow at this traffic light.

The cost of one traffic light object, depending on its technical equipment and the complexity of the road section, ranges from 800 thousand rubles to 2.5 million rubles.

Turnouts and turnout sections

Traffic light with side section

"Always burning" green section (Kyiv, 2008)

Traffic lights may have additional sections in the form of arrows or arrow outlines that regulate traffic in one direction or another. The rules (on the territory of Ukraine, but not in all countries of the former USSR) are as follows:

In the rules of the road of the Russian Federation in clause 6.3, the contour arrows and the colored arrow on a black background are equivalent and do not give an advantage when passing when the red signal is on in the main section.

Most often, the additional section “to the right” either lights up constantly, or lights up a few seconds before the main green signal turns on, or continues to burn for a few more seconds after the main green signal turns off.

The extra section "left" in most cases means a dedicated left turn, since this maneuver creates more traffic obstruction than a right turn.

In some countries, for example in Ukraine, there are “always burning” green sections at traffic lights, made in the form of a plate with a green arrow on a white background. The plate is located at the level of the red signal and is directed to the right (the arrow to the left is also provided, but can only be installed at the intersection of roads with one-way traffic). The green arrow on the plate indicates that turning right (left) is allowed with a red signal in the main section. When turning along such an arrow, the driver must: take the extreme right (left) lane and give way to pedestrians and vehicles moving from other directions.

Traffic light with flashing red signal

A red flashing signal (as a rule, at traffic lights with one or two red sections flashing alternately) is used to protect intersections with tram lines when a tram is approaching, bridges when drawing, road sections near airport runways during takeoff and landing of aircraft at a dangerous height . These traffic lights are similar to those used at level crossings (see below).

Traffic lights installed at railway crossings

It consists of two horizontally placed red lights and, on part of the crossings, one moon-white light. The white lantern is located between the red ones, below or above the line connecting them. The meaning of the signals is as follows:

two alternately flashing red lights - traffic through the crossing is prohibited; this signal is usually accompanied by an audible alarm (bell);
a flashing white light means that the technical system of the crossing is in good order. Since it is not lit when a crossing is closed or closed, the white-moon lantern is often misunderstood as a clearing signal.

Sometimes, instead of a moon-white lantern, a green non-flickering lamp is placed, which, unlike the moon-white one, is a permissive signal. Often there is no moon-white lantern, the traffic light consists of only two red lanterns.

Reversing traffic light

To regulate traffic along the lanes of the carriageway (especially where reverse traffic is possible), special lane control traffic lights (reversing) are used. In accordance with the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, such traffic lights may have two or three signals:

red X-shaped signal prohibits movement along the lane;
a green arrow pointing down allows movement;
an additional signal in the form of a diagonal yellow arrow informs about a change in the operating mode of the lane and indicates the direction in which it must be left.

Traffic lights for route vehicles

T-shaped traffic light in Moscow shows the signal "no traffic"

To regulate the movement of route vehicles (trams, buses, trolleybuses), or route traffic of all vehicles, special traffic lights are used, the type of which differs from country to country.

Meaning of signals (from left to right)

Driving straight ahead is allowed
Permission to move to the left
Permission to move to the right
Allowed movement in all directions (similar to the green signal of a traffic light)
Movement is prohibited, except when emergency braking is required to stop (similar to the yellow signal of a car traffic light)
Movement is prohibited (similar to the red signal of a traffic light)

Due to its specific appearance, the Dutch traffic light was nicknamed negenoog, that is, “nine eyes”.

Traffic light for pedestrians

Traffic light for bicycles in Vienna

Such traffic lights regulate the movement of pedestrians through a pedestrian crossing. As a rule, it has two types of signals: allowing and forbidding. Usually, green and red light are used for this purpose, respectively. The signals themselves have a different shape. Most often, signals are used in the form of a silhouette of a person: red - standing, green - walking. In the US, a red signal is often performed in the form of a silhouette of a raised palm (the "stop" gesture). Sometimes they use the inscriptions "do not go" and "go" (in English "Don't Walk" and "Walk", in other languages - similarly). In the capital of Norway, two standing figures painted in red are used to prohibit pedestrian traffic. This is done so that the visually impaired or people suffering from color blindness can understand whether they can walk or need to stand. On busy highways, as a rule, automatically switching traffic lights are installed. But the option is also often used when the traffic light switches after pressing a special button and allows the transition for a certain time after that.

Modern traffic lights for pedestrians are also additionally equipped with sound signals intended for blind pedestrians, and sometimes a countdown display (first appeared in France in 1998).

red - the path is busy, travel is prohibited;
yellow - travel is allowed with a speed limit (40 km / h) and until the next section of the haul;
green - 2 or more sites are free, travel is allowed;
lunar white - an invitation signal (placed at railway stations, marshalling and freight stations).

Also, traffic lights or additional light indicators can inform the driver about the route or otherwise specify the indication. If two yellow lights are on at the input traffic light, this means that the train will deviate according to the arrows, the next signal is closed, and if two yellow and the top flashing light, the next signal is open.

There is a separate type of two-color railway traffic lights - shunting, which give the following signals:

Sometimes a railway traffic light is erroneously called a semaphore.

River traffic lights

River traffic lights are designed to regulate the movement of river vessels. They are mainly used to regulate the passage of ships through locks. Such traffic lights have signals of two colors - red and green.

Distinguish distant And neighbors river traffic lights. Distant traffic lights allow or prohibit the approach of ships to the lock. Nearby traffic lights are installed directly in front of and inside the lock chamber on the right side in the direction of the vessel. They regulate the entry of ships into the lock chamber and the exit from it.

It should be noted that an idle river traffic light (none of the signals is on) prohibits the movement of ships.

There are also river traffic lights in the form of a single yellow-orange lantern built into the No Anchoring sign to indicate this sign at night. They have three lenses of the specified color, directed downstream, upstream and perpendicular.

Traffic lights in motorsport

In motorsport, traffic lights may be installed at marshal's posts, at the exit of the pit lane, and at the starting line.

The starting traffic light is suspended above the track in such a way that it is clearly visible to everyone standing at the start. Arrangement of lights: "red - green" or "yellow - green - red". Traffic lights are duplicated from the opposite side (so that all fans and judges can see the start procedure). Often at a racing traffic light there is not one red light, but several (in case the lamp burns out).

The traffic lights are as follows:

Red: Get ready to launch!
Red goes out: Start! (start from a place)
Green: Start! (flying start, qualifying, warm-up lap)
Flashing yellow: Stop engines!

The signals for standing start and flying start are different for this reason. Fading red does not allow you to start reflexively - this reduces the likelihood that someone will move from a place to an "alarming" yellow light. During a rolling start this is not a problem, but it is important for the riders to know if the start has been given (if the judge considers the starting formation inappropriate, the cars are sent to a second formation lap). In this case, the green start signal is more informative.

In some racing series, there are other signals.

Marshal traffic lights are found mainly on oval tracks and give the same commands that marshals give with flags (red - stop the race, yellow - dangerous section, etc.)

Traffic light object control unit

In the language of road services traffic light object several traffic lights are called, which are controlled by a common electronic unit and act as a single unit.

The simplest way to control a traffic light is electromechanical, using a cam mechanism. More advanced electromechanical controllers had several work programs (several cam packs) - for different crossroad loads. Modern traffic lights use microprocessor circuits.

In large cities suffering from traffic jams, traffic lights are connected to a single traffic control system (usually via a GSM modem). This allows you to quickly change the traffic light programs (including temporarily, for several hours or days) and synchronize traffic light objects with each other with an accuracy of seconds. All programs are compiled and approved by the traffic police.

For the passage of pedestrians through a busy road, as well as at unequal intersections, call controllers are used, giving green when a car is approaching from a secondary direction (an inductive sensor is located under the asphalt for this), or when a pedestrian presses a button.

Railway traffic lights are connected to the executive part of the signaling, centralization and blocking system.

Additional interfaces

Traffic light with sound for blind pedestrians

Traffic light with countdown

In some countries, traffic lights are equipped with an additional TO (time countdown display), showing how many seconds are left before the change in traffic light status. In Russia, such traffic lights are relatively uncommon, most often they are found in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other large cities.

One way to improve the efficiency of a traffic light is to adapt it for use by blind people. In conditions where increased attention is needed, such additions are useful for ordinary people.

This is the soundtrack that triggers when the colors change: a slow tick (“wait”) or a fast tick (“go”).

In Germany and the Netherlands, the area in front of the pedestrian crossing is lined with ribbed tiles and soft rubber plates, when stepped on, the foot sags a little, and the person involuntarily stops.

Traffic light in other areas of human activity

Notes

Links

Green wave - coordinated switching of traffic lights.
Traffic lights and

This year, on August 5, 2015, the world celebrated the 101st birthday of the electric traffic light system. On August 5, 1914, in Cleveland, Ohio, engineers installed the world's first electric traffic light at an intersection, which had green and red lights. A traffic light regulated traffic on the street for four road junctions. In honor of this event, even Google has prepared a corporate logo search, which on August 5, 2015 was visited by the world's first traffic light on the road.

Technically, the device in Cleveland may not seem like a big breakthrough, but, nevertheless, compared with the manually operated traffic lights that were installed in London and other countries of the world, the new electric traffic light was noticeably ahead of its predecessors in terms of ease of use and the meaning of its work. .

So it was controlled from a distance with the help of a policeman who was sitting in a glass box not far from the device. Recall that before that, traffic lights were used in the world, which had only manual mechanical control, because of which the policeman had to stand next to him to switch the traffic light mode, which, you see, is not very convenient and dangerous.

The advent of the first electric traffic light marks a key moment in the transformation and development of highways in the early 20th century. It is thanks to this invention that there is no chaos and chaotic traffic on our streets.

If we recall our past, then before the advent of traffic lights, the streets in settlements were a chaotic movement of carriages, hand carts, and other horse-drawn vehicles. There was also no traffic control for pedestrians.

Why was there a traffic light?

Horses, carriages, stagecoaches, wagons, horse-drawn trams and pedestrians for many years interfered with each other on the road, intersecting on the streets of settlements. But, despite a certain chaos that reigned on the streets of the city until the 20th century, the world did not really need traffic lights, because everything was very slow. The average speeds of horse-drawn vehicles lag behind the average speeds of modern bicycles.

But as soon as cars appeared in the world, which began to appear in cities, then the world faced a problem related to the speed of vehicles. As it turned out, we were not ready for the emergence of vehicles, and we did not have a system that would make transport safe for all road users. As a result, with the advent of cars around the world, a huge number of people died in a sharp increase.

In the early 1900s, the biggest problem was observed in large cities in the United States, where in a short time, due to the development of the automotive industry, the number of vehicles literally increased several times before our eyes. As a result, in just a few years, the number of fatal accidents involving pedestrians who faced the problem of crossing streets on which cars were moving at high speeds increased dramatically.

Graph of growth in road traffic deaths in the early 1900s (USA)

In order to reduce the accident rate, the world's first traffic rules began to appear, in which the rules for driving certain sections of the road were prescribed.

In the figure, you see a rule that prohibited a car from turning left at an intersection with pedestrians at an acute angle. According to this rule, the driver was ordered to turn at an intersection at a right angle

Most of the rules concerned the left turns of cars. At first it may seem that this is not very significant. But, for example, the ban on crossing an intersection at an acute angle, for the first time in the world, made the passage of a section of the road where pedestrians and other vehicles intersect safe and more convenient.

The rule prescribed when turning left to cross the intersection at a right angle. Thanks to this, it was possible to reduce the number of accidents involving cars and pedestrians.

But as soon as there is a rule that must be observed, then there are bound to be many people who will break them. The authorities of many US cities faced the same problem after the appearance of the first rules of the road, which led, after a decrease in the accident rate, to its even greater growth.

As a result, policemen with whistles appeared at many intersections in the center, who stood in the center of the intersection and controlled the passage of a section of the road strictly at a right angle (in the diagram above, the policeman is indicated by the point "C").

This organization was one of the first in the world for the safe regulation of traffic. This traffic reform has proven to be a major step forward for smarter traffic in order to beat the chaos on the roads.

At busy intersections, traffic police officers were paired with police officers who manually switched mechanical traffic lights with several warning lights. Also, in some places, semaphores were installed, which had inscriptions instructing drivers what to do (stop or move).

But with the growth of vehicles on the roads, standing in the center of intersections has become unsafe. Also, many drivers were outraged by the frequent mistakes of the actions of the police, who often could not cope with the large flow of cars.

How did the new electric traffic light work?

The system installed in Cleveland was not the first in the world to use multicolored warning lights to regulate traffic. Back in 1868 in London, the police used a hand-held signal semaphore with red and green lights, which have long been used in the world as a stop and move signal.

The problem with this semaphore was the principle of its operation. Gas was used inside the device. As a result, after a month of using such a device, a tragic incident occurred, which stopped the development of such manual semaphores. So during the use of the device by the police, it exploded in the hands, causing injury to a person.

Finally, in 1914, at the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street, one of the busiest intersections in Cleveland was installed. This device was installed by American Traffic Signal, commissioned by the city authorities. This device worked on the basis of technology that James Hodge had patented a year earlier.

The figure shows the original traffic light scheme, which was received in 1913 for patent registration. Please note that the traffic light, in addition to color signals, also uses inscriptions. But Cleveland did not use a traffic light with inscriptions

The design of the first traffic light was simple. The operator in the cab toggled switches to turn green or red lights on or off. The cabin with the device was connected by electrical wires. Traffic lights were installed on each side of the intersection. The cab was installed in the center of the intersection so that the operator could see all the devices.

The control panel also had an emergency mode, which was turned on by the policeman in order to let the fire truck and other special vehicles through. To do this, the operator switched a special switch to the "On" position and at that moment all the traffic lights at the intersection switched to red light mode in order to allow the special vehicle to pass.

The world's first electric traffic light was installed on the road as an experiment. Installation cost $1,500. Despite the fact that many cities around the world also experimented with various similar traffic lights, the device based on the James Hodge patent took precedence over all similar inventions. Gradually, over the decades, remote-controlled electric traffic lights have become the standard throughout the world.

In 1920, police officer William Potts of Detroit proposed the use of yellow in traffic lights. Shortly thereafter, cities such as New York and Philadelphia began installing three-color traffic lights. Eventually, traffic lights with signal lights of different colors came into use around the world.

In our country, the first modern traffic light appeared in 1930, in Leningrad at the intersection of October 25 Avenue and Volodarsky Avenue (now Nevsky Prospekt and Liteiny Prospekt). In Moscow, the first traffic light appeared a little later in the same 1930. It was installed at the corner of Petrovka and Kuznetsky Most streets.

True, the first Soviet traffic lights differed from foreign counterparts in the location of color signals.

In place of the red light (above), our Patriotic traffic light had a green light (there were even traffic lights in which blue was used instead of green), and red was located instead of green light (below). But after our country acceded to the International Convention on Road Traffic and the International Protocol on Road Signs and Signals, the arrangement of colored signal lights has changed to a generally accepted one throughout the world.

Development of roads and traffic

Old Moscow - Moscow today

Petrovsky Gate Square

With the growth of motor transport, all the Governments of large countries, in addition to regulating traffic, began to develop a road network that connected large settlements and laid a new foundation for the development of the entire automotive industry. With the development of roads, there was an increase in the speed of movement of transport between cities, which marked a new round in the development of the economy of states. In our country, unlike Western countries, development was slow, but, nevertheless, the road network grew along with the increase in motor transport.

In the early 1900s, automobiles were only available to the rich in the world. And when a car hit a pedestrian, there was a fuss and even opinions were expressed that vehicles are "killer cars" that have no place on city streets. If police departments and engineers from many countries had not dealt with security issues and had not come up with a way to minimize the "carnage" on the road, then nothing would have changed so far.

Fortunately, the specialists managed to make sure that pedestrians and cars do not interfere with each other on the road, create a standardization of traffic flows and, most importantly, create traffic regulation, which reduced the number of severe accidents.

Starting in the 1920s, cars began to get cheaper. The decline in cost has led to the fact that the middle class around the world can afford to own new cars.

This in turn has led to an increase in transport on the roads around the world. Fortunately, along with the growth of vehicles on the road, they began to appear en masse, which began to regulate the flow of road users, reducing the accident rate. As a result, traffic lights have become commonplace in most cities of the world, including ours.

Yuri Moskalenko

On August 5, 1914, 95 years ago, the world's first traffic lights appeared at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street in the American city of Cleveland. They had switching red and green lights and emitted a warning signal.

It would seem that everything is clear: there is a specific date, and it remains to be seen who came up with such a system? But in reality, everything is not so simple: here, as with the invention of football, several countries at once claim to be called the founders of this folk game. With traffic lights, too, everything is not so simple: there are enough applicants for the right to invent. It is not for nothing that the famous poetess Larisa Rubalskaya once came up with the following lines:

Who Invented the Traffic Light?

"It was, by the way,

A lot of years ago.

The plane was invented by the pilot,

The gardener invented the garden,

Tourist invented the road

The football player invented the ball.

But there's a lot left

Unsolvable tasks.

It is still unknown

Who Invented the Traffic Light?

Who Invented the Traffic Light? -

It is still unknown.

Everyone does what they want

Everything that comes to mind.

And once, by the way,

Invent something.

A nail to the wall, a teapot to the jam,

Black bread for sour cabbage soup,

A lot in life is not accidental

Wonderful things."

Who is first?

The British are trying to take the palm from the Americans. And they have a reason for this - the great-grandfather of the modern traffic light was installed on December 10, 1868 in London, near the British Parliament building. Its inventor, J.P. Knight, a specialist in railway semaphores, simply transferred the principle adopted in his department. His "traffic light" was manually controlled and had two semaphore wings. If the wings were raised horizontally, this meant a “stop” signal, and when they were lowered at an angle of 45 degrees, movement was allowed, but only “with caution”. In addition, a gas lantern was hung on a high iron pole, covered with red glass on one side and green glass on the other. The lantern could be turned in one direction or the other by means of a knob mounted at its base.

Daylight hours in London on December 10 are as short as a sparrow's beak. Not everyone had time to “slip through” during daylight hours. For "latecomers" Knight came up with a backlight. The "switch" of the signals was a special policeman who turned on the desired light. But this invention worked for less than a month - on January 2, 1869, the gas in the lantern did not know why it exploded, the policeman was seriously injured, and later died in the hospital. After that, the "bobbies" flatly refused to be on duty near the gas lamp. Regulation came to naught. At least for a long 44 years.

Why does a detective need a traffic light?

In 1912, 24-year-old Lester Wire, a Salt Lake City police detective, invented the first electric traffic light. First he made a large wooden box with a sloping roof, then circular holes in which were glass, painted red and green. In order for everyone to see the “traffic light”, the box was installed on a long pole, and wires were lowered from it by snakes onto a special cart. Here was the “control panel” for the traffic light.

And yet, many experts believe that the real traffic light was born on August 5, 1914 and was invented by Garrett Morgan, an African American inventor and businessman from Cleveland, Ohio. Actually, Garrett needed a traffic light only after he bought his first car. His invention operated on the same principle as semaphores at railway sidings. The only difference was that Morgan came up with such a move: each signal (red and green) turned on automatically for a certain amount of time. It is on this principle that almost all modern traffic lights operate. And with tips in the form of a digital countdown, and without them ...

True, Morgan managed to obtain a patent for the invention only nine years later, in 1923. And four years later, two inventors at once managed to “improve” the system proposed by Garrett. For example, such a “passage” was not without interest - if a driver approaching saw a red light at a traffic light, he buzzed with the help of a special horn. The signal reached the ears of the policeman in the booth, who immediately switched on the light. True, this system worked only up to a certain point, until the number of cars exceeded all permissible limits. Not every traffic controller could orient himself in the cacophony of sounds ...

Italians have their own traffic light...

Here are two more interesting facts. Firstly, the yellow traffic light signal appeared in 1918, and secondly, in the Soviet Union, the first traffic light was installed in 1924 at the intersection of Kuznetsky Most and Petrovka streets in Moscow.

And the last thing: the Italians came up with the “coolest traffic light”. So they call a special diet, according to which you can lose a few pounds without batting an eye….

They advise starting a meal with yellow foods. For example, potatoes, pumpkin, scrambled eggs, bell peppers of the corresponding color, banana, orange, persimmon, tangerine.

And finally, the meal ends with red products and dishes: shrimp, lobsters, salmon, tomatoes, carrots. And it is recommended to complete everything with raspberries, strawberries, cherries, pomegranates.

As you can see, here the colors also “switch” one after another…