Traffic light history and design. Modern traffic lights in the Russian Federation

Did you know that the traffic light had a birthday on August 5th? And in 2014 he turned 100 years old! It was a century ago that the first electric traffic light was invented. Are you an experienced driver or a beginner? driving lessons? No matter! We think it will be interesting to read about the history of the traffic light for everyone.

Great grandfather of our traffic light

Just imagine what it would be like on the roads if we didn't have a regular traffic light. But who is to be thanked for such a useful invention? Here's what they say driving instructors .

The very first traffic light in the history of mankind was installed in December 1868 in London next to the Houses of Parliament. This smart device was created by a certain John Peak Knight, an engineer who worked on semaphores, that is, devices that regulate the movement of railway transport.

It was a simple design with two semaphore arrows. The first traffic light was controlled manually. A horizontal arrow meant a stop, and when the arrow was raised up at an angle of 45 degrees, it was necessary to move with extreme caution. At night, the arrows were replaced with gas lamps of different colors. Red - stop, green - further movement is allowed.

The main task of the traffic lights of that time was to make the passage of pedestrians through the carriageway easier and safer.

When was the electric traffic light introduced?

In 1912, thanks to Lester Wire, a resident of Utah in America, the first traffic light appeared, which was powered by the mains. But it was not patented. And only two years later, engineer James Hogue from Cleveland designed a device that became the prototype of the modern traffic light. Then at once four traffic regulators were installed at the intersection of 105th Street and Euclid Avenue. In addition to light signals, they could also give sound signals. Control came from a glass booth built nearby. There was always a duty officer who was responsible for the operation of the traffic light.

Tricolor traffic lights appeared a little later, in 1920, but instantly filled the streets of New York and Detroit. John F. Harris and William Potts are considered to be their creators.

France became the first European country to install a traffic light. It happened in 1922, when the inhabitants of Paris began to travel according to the readings of these unique devices. In 1927, the traffic light reached England.

In our country, then still the USSR, the first traffic light was installed in Leningrad at the intersection of modern Nevsky and Liteiny avenues (then they were called Volodarsky and 25 October Avenue). This happened in January 1930 and became a significant event in the history of Russian traffic. A little later, in December, Muscovites were also able to get acquainted with the traffic light. It was installed on New Year's Eve, December 30, 1930.

By the mid-20s. of the last century, almost 50 types of traffic lights of various designs were invented. It is worth noting the invention of the Attica Traffic Signal Company. The system they developed could count down to the start by lighting up the light bulbs. By the way, today such a scheme is actively used in motorsport.

How a modern traffic light works

If you think that a traffic light is a simple design with periodic switching of light displays, then you are deeply mistaken. Modern traffic lights are very complex devices. They include:

case with lamps,
traffic signal controller ,
special vehicle sensors.

Today, traffic lights are installed on special supports and poles along highways and mainly at intersections.

This silent "traffic controller" is controlled by a computer, which independently selects and synchronizes movement in accordance with the constantly changing traffic situation. Sensors instantly fix vehicles, as if setting them the rhythm of movement with the help of well-known light signals.

In large cities and metropolitan areas, traffic lights are combined into automated systems that control the movement of all city vehicles.

Such systems are capable of creating surprisingly complex effects, such as the "green wave".

The further development of this means of motion control lies already in the field of the development of artificial intelligence. Over time, it is the traffic light that will take over the entire regulation of traffic flows, completely excluding a person from this process.

Amazing Facts

By the way, in Japan for a long time the blue color was a permissive traffic light.

The term "traffic light" entered the Russian language after the inclusion of this concept in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, in 1932.

And the biggest traffic light is in London. This is the so-called "traffic light tree", located on the square near the Canary pier. This design does not regulate anything, but is a kind of memorial and a symbol of victory. It signifies that the "three fires" have triumphed over road chaos. The height of the memorial is 8 meters, and this traffic light consists of 75 devices controlled by just one computer.

On a note

Over the past hundred years, the three-color traffic controller has constantly evolved, becoming more complex, more convenient and smarter. Today there are traffic lights not only for cars, but also for pedestrians, trams, cyclists and even horses. Arrows have appeared that allow turning right at a red signal, as well as sound signals, so that visually impaired people can safely cross the roadway.

Perhaps someone will think that traffic lights are some kind of limitation ... But just think about how many lives they have helped save over this century.

Traffic without these traffic controllers would be chaotic and extremely dangerous. Don't forget to say thank you as you pass by...

P.S. We remind you once again that the prohibitory signal of a traffic light is not only red, but also yellow. Movement for motorists and pedestrians is allowed only on green. Do not forget this simple rule, and you will always be safe.

Video about why the red, yellow and green colors of the signals are used in the traffic light:

Good luck at the crossroads and follow the traffic rules!

The article used an image from the site ugranow.ru

A traffic light (from Russian light and Greek φορоς - “carrier”) is an optical signaling device designed to regulate the movement of people, bicycles, cars and other road users, railway and subway trains, river and sea vessels.

In fact, the very first traffic light was installed on December 10, 1868 in London near the British Parliament building. Its inventor, J.P. Knight, was an expert on railroad semaphores. The traffic light was manually controlled and had two semaphore wings: 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 the crossing of pedestrians across 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 considered to be Lester Wire from Salt Lake City (Utah, USA). In 1912, he developed (but did not patent) a traffic light with two round electrical signals of red and green.

On August 5, 1914, in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, the American Traffic Light Company installed four electric traffic lights designed by James Hoag at the intersection of 105th Street and Euclid Avenue. They had a red and green signal and, when switched, emitted a sound signal. The system was controlled by a policeman sitting in a glass box at an intersection. Traffic lights set traffic rules similar to those adopted in modern America: a right turn was carried out at any time in the absence of interference, and a left turn was carried out on a green signal around the center of the intersection.

In Australia, in the 30s, such an unusual traffic light was also invented, which worked on the principle of a clock - it was necessary to act depending on the color of the field on which the arrow was currently located

In 1920, three-color traffic lights using a yellow signal were installed in Detroit (Michigan (State) Michigan, USA and New York. The authors of the inventions were, respectively, William Potts and John F. Harris.

The first Japanese traffic lights had a blue permission signal, then it was changed to green, but the inhabitants of the country still call it "blue" out of habit.

First tricolor traffic light 1920

In Europe, similar traffic lights were first installed in 1922 in Paris at the intersection of Rue de Rivoli and Sevastopol Boulevard and in Hamburg at Stephansplatz. In England - in 1927 in the city of Wolverhampton.

In the USSR, the first traffic light was installed on January 15, 1930 in Leningrad at the intersection of avenues on October 25 and Volodarsky (now Nevsky and Liteiny avenues). And the first traffic light in Moscow appeared on December 30 of the same year at the corner of Petrovka and Kuznetsky Most streets.

Photo taken in 1931. This is the second traffic light installed in Moscow - at the corner of Kuznetsky and Neglinka.

In the mid-1990s, green LEDs with sufficient brightness and color purity were invented, and experiments began with LED traffic lights. Moscow became the first city in which LED traffic lights began to be widely used.

Types of traffic lights

The most common are 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 arranged both vertically (with the red signal always at the top and the green signal at the bottom) and horizontally (with the red signal always at the left and the green signal at the right).

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

Sometimes traffic lights are supplemented with a special countdown display, which shows how long the signal will remain 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.

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.

Traffic light from the designer Stanislav Katz. All three colors on it are reproduced by one flashlight consisting of a matrix of green and red LEDs.

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.

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).

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.

Traffic lights may have additional sections in the form of arrows or arrow outlines that regulate traffic in one direction or another.

A red flashing signal is used to protect intersections with tram lines when a tram approaches, bridges when drawing, road sections near airport runways when aircraft take off and land at a dangerous height.

The traffic light installed at railway crossings consists of two horizontally located red lights and, on part of the crossings, one moon-white light. A white lantern is located between the red ones, below or above the line connecting them. Sometimes a green unblinking lantern is placed instead of a moon-white lantern.

To regulate traffic along the lanes of the carriageway (especially where reverse traffic is possible), special traffic lights are used - reversible.

Reversible traffic lights

In accordance with the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, such traffic lights may have two or three signals:

a red X-shaped signal prohibits traffic on 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.

In the Nordic countries, traffic lights are used with three sections that coincide in location and purpose with standard traffic lights, but have a white color and the shape of signs: "S" - for a signal prohibiting traffic, "-" - for a warning signal, a direction arrow - for permission signal.

Traffic lights for route vehicles in the Netherlands (top row) and Belgium (bottom row)

Traffic lights for pedestrians regulate the movement of people through a pedestrian crossing. As a rule, it has two types of signals: allowing and forbidding.

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 "don't 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.

Pedestrian traffic light in Norway

Often the option is 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 additionally equipped with sound signals intended for blind pedestrians.

Traffic light sound module for blind pedestrians

During the existence of the GDR, traffic lights for pedestrians had the original shape of a small "traffic light" man.

Souvenirs with the image of a "traffic light" man

To regulate the movement of bicycles, special traffic lights are sometimes used. It can be a traffic light, the signals of which are made in the form of a bicycle silhouette. They are smaller and mounted at a comfortable height for cyclists.

Traffic light for bicycles in Vienna

South Korean designers have developed a traffic light for color blind people. The development, called Uni-Signal (short for Universal Sign Light - “universal signal sign”), is based on the original idea to give the sections of automatic adjusters the shape of different geometric shapes.

Traffic light with timer

TAKE LED traffic lights in Taiwan

And here is another photo on the topic of traffic lights

Installation by Pierre Vivant: neither a tree nor a 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 electric traffic lights designed by Hog 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.

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 little 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.

Design

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:

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 (pictured).

Free electronic encyclopedia Wikipedia, section "Cam mechanism".
Rules of the Road of the Russian Federation.
GOST R 52282-2004: Technical means of traffic management. Traffic lights are road. Types and basic parameters. General technical requirements. Test Methods

The history of traffic lights begins in England in 1868. Although the first traffic controller did not last long, he contributed to the development of the system. The appearance of a traffic light is associated with the development of railways - their "regulators" or semaphores appeared there earlier than on roads intended for cars. The first traffic light was installed at one of the central intersections of London - next to the British Parliament building. The traffic light had two operating modes: day and night.

The first traffic light appeared in England near the Houses of Parliament in 1868

During daylight hours, peculiar arrows worked - if they were in a horizontal position, this meant that movement was prohibited, if the arrows were turned down by about 45 degrees, this meant that cars could move with caution. In the night mode, a rotating gas lamp worked, with the help of which signals of red and green colors were given. This mechanism was controlled manually by a policeman who was nearby. However, this traffic light lasted only about a year, one night it exploded. As a result of this incident, the sentry was injured, and this, despite the fact that the gas lamp was at a height of about 6 meters. The device was deemed unreliable and banned. Before the next traffic light, England had to wait almost half a century.

Meanwhile, the need for traffic regulation was also felt in other countries. Perhaps this was especially acute in the United States thanks to the "efforts" of Henry Ford. The number of cars on the streets of American cities was rapidly increasing, and crossing intersections became more and more difficult for both motorists and pedestrians.

In 1910, 40 years after traffic lights in England, Ernst Sirin patents the "automatic traffic light". The difference between this design is that it can switch without the direct participation of a person, and the usual red and green signals were not there, instead there were signs: Proceed and Stop. In 1914, the first traffic light company was registered in the USA. Cleveland is installing a system of 4 electric traffic lights. However, as before, they are controlled by a policeman from a booth set up nearby. By the way, the third traffic light “yellow” was added only in the 20s of the last century.

An interesting project was implemented in those years in New York. There, towers were erected on 5th Avenue to regulate traffic. They looked like tall booths with signals of three colors, in which a policeman sat and switched traffic lights with buttons.

A traffic light tower erected on 5th Avenue in New York in the 1920s

At first, the towers were wooden, while later ones were built of cast bronze mounted on a strong steel frame. In the mid-1920s, the traffic light system was automated, and police towers were no longer needed.

Traffic lights that came to replace the "towers" in the United States

In 1920-1930 traffic lights appeared in Europe. In the USSR, the first such “regulator” was installed in 1930 in Leningrad, a little later he appeared in Moscow, and a few years later the practice spread to other cities.

Regulator with a rechargeable traffic light. 1943 Photo from the archive of the Museum of the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia

As for flowers, there were various options. So, for example, red has always been used to indicate a stop signal. This color has always and everywhere been associated with danger, so his choice seemed logical. And, here, for the "allowing" signal, they sometimes used white.

The first traffic light in the USSR was installed in 1930 in Leningrad

However, after a few years, this option was considered unsuccessful and it was replaced with a green one. As for the order in which the signals are located, in our country, initially the green signal was at the top, and the red at the bottom. The situation changed after the USSR joined the International Convention on Road Traffic and the Protocol on Road Signs and Signals.

05.08.2015 03.12.2015 by [email protected]

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.