1st traffic lights start to operate
Wolverhampton, West Midlands The 5th of November 1927 AD
Britains first automatic traffic lights were launched on this day in 1927 at a busy junction in Wolverhampton, a large industrial town at the heart of the Black Country. They now appear at almost every major junction throughout the UK and are thought to both alleviate and cause traffic delays. In London they are especially loathed as there seem to be so many of them (in one stretch of Chiswick High Road there are 5 sets in less than 200 metres) - however life on the roads would be undoubtedly chaotic without them. In all countries of the world Amber means prepare to stop apart from the UK, New Zealand & Canada where it means STOP (unless so doing may cause an accident)
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Comment
From Michael Barlow on 28th September 2009
Traffic lights also appeared in London, and in NORTHAMPTON.
The Northampton set were at the junction of the main shopping thoroghfare, Abington Street and Fish street to the south and Wood Street to the north.
On 23rd April 1962, a road traffic accident caused the northern signal pole to be demolished.
This junction was included in the pedestrianised area in the mid 1970`s.
In the sixties, ( I think) trials were held where the amber sequence between the red and green signals, get ready to move off, was removed, only the prepare to stop amber phase remainig. This trial lasted about 18 months in both Northampton and Wolverhampton.
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