On March 6, 1920, New York City debuted its first traffic signal system, on 42nd Street and 5th Avenue.
The City’s commissioner of traffic, Dr. John A Harris (also a millionaire physician), instituted the program, designing a wood and steel shed atop which a traffic officer would stand and flash lights.
A contemporary photo of the intersection indicates just how congested with automobiles the intersection was.
The signal system seems to have improved conditions for motorists, but not so much for pedestrians.
New York City was building on systems that date back to London in 1868, though a more modern innovation was implemented in Cleveland in 1914. The red, yellow, and green color scheme was adapted from railroad signals.
(via New York 1920s)
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