Who invented the traffic light and when and where was it first installed? The history of the first traffic light in Russia.

100 years of traffic lights! August 5th, 2014

Exactly one hundred years ago, on August 5, 1914, the American Traffic Light Company installed the first electric traffic light at the intersection of 105th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland. It had a red and green signal and made a beep when switching.

one of the first electric traffic lights

In fact, the first traffic light was installed on December 10, 1868 in London near the British Parliament. Its inventor is John Peak Knight. The traffic light was manually controlled and had two semaphore arrows: raised horizontally meant a stop signal, and lowered at an angle of 45° meant moving with caution. In the dark, a rotating gas lamp was used, with the help of which red and red signals were given, respectively. green flowers. The traffic light was used to facilitate the passage of pedestrians across the street, and its signals were intended to vehicles— While pedestrians are walking, vehicles must stop. However, this device did not work for long. Less than a month later, on January 2, 1869, a gas lamp at a traffic light exploded, injuring the traffic light policeman.

After this advent, traffic lights were forgotten for almost 50 years. Therefore, perhaps August 5, 1914 should be considered his real birthday. A traffic light in the familiar three-color (red, yellow, green) design appeared in 1920. Drive straight and turn left when the signal is green. But turning right... was allowed at any time in the absence of interference.

Following America, traffic lights were adopted by Old World. The first was installed in 1922 in Paris. Other European capitals followed suit.

German traffic lights had a rather interesting design. They were a small tower with a booth where a policeman climbed in and regulated traffic. Needless to say, the advent of traffic lights has significantly simplified traffic management. For example, on Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, before the appearance of traffic lights, as many as 11 police officers were involved in regulating traffic.

By the way, one of these towers is still preserved in Berlin.

In the USSR, the first traffic light was installed on January 15, 1930 in Leningrad at the intersection of 25 October and Volodarsky avenues (now Nevsky and Liteyny 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.

Our country, as often happens, did not adopt Western experience, but went its own way. This is how the first traffic lights in Moscow looked unusual for a modern driver.

The device resembled a lantern, on each side of which there was a circle divided into unequal parts. It is very similar to a clock, where there is a hand that goes around in a circle. The color it points to is the signal.

However, such traffic lights did not take root for long. Soon they were replaced with classic ones.

However, here too, everything was not like other people’s. Red and green colors were in places opposite to the current ones. Only in 1959 did the USSR join International Convention on Road Traffic and the Protocol on road signs and signals. The traffic light has acquired a modern look.

Almost until the end of the Soviet era large number traffic lights were controlled manually. A special person sat in a glass booth and pressed buttons to regulate the movement.

Fortunately, science has not stood still. Now the traffic lights themselves switch to the desired mode according to the programmed program. However, even now you can sometimes see how manual control is carried out.

By the way, a traffic light is not only a stand with multi-colored light bulbs, but also a controller that controls them. This is what the electronic components of a modern traffic light look like.

The average cost of constructing a new traffic light facility ranges from 1.5 to 5 million rubles.

The maintenance and regulation of this entire facility in Moscow is carried out by the Traffic Management Center, which a couple of years ago was supposed to unite all the city’s traffic lights into a single Intellectual Transport System. But something didn't work out.

Did you know that in our country there is a traffic light monument, and not even one?

In Novosibirsk (installed in 2006),

in Tomsk (2010).

There is even a whole traffic light tree in Penza (2011). It turns out that the head of the local administration proposed making it from old traffic lights.

photo Alexander Kachkaev

True, the idea is not entirely original, but clearly borrowed from London, where the world-famous Traffic Light tree is located. But for conservative Russia this is big step forward.

photo wikipedia

We laughed and that's enough. A traffic light is a serious matter. It is worth quoting a famous phrase from a 1923 patent: The purpose of the traffic light is to make the order of passage through the intersection independent of the person sitting in the car.

Let us raise our glasses so that this principle will never be violated. Happy holiday!)

It was installed on December 10, 1868 in London near the British Parliament. Its inventor, John Peake Knight, was a specialist in railway semaphores. was controlled manually and had two semaphore arrows: raised horizontally meant a “stop” signal, and lowered at an angle of 45° meant moving with caution. In the dark, a rotating gas lamp was used, with the help of which red and green signals were given, respectively. was used to make it easier for pedestrians to cross the street, and its signals were intended for vehicles - while pedestrians are walking, vehicles must stop. On January 2, 1869, a gas lamp at a traffic light exploded, injuring the traffic light policeman.

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

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

On August 5, 1914, in Cleveland, the American Traffic Light Company installed four electric traffic lights designed by James Hogue at the intersection of 105th Street and Euclid Avenue. They had a red and green signal and made a beep when switching. The system was controlled by a police officer sitting in a glass booth at an intersection. Traffic lights set traffic rules similar to those currently accepted in the United States: a right turn was carried out at any time in the absence of obstacles, and a left turn was made when the signal was green around the center of the intersection.

In 1920, tricolors using a yellow signal were installed in Detroit and New York. The authors of the inventions were, respectively, William Potts (eng. William Potts) and John F. Harris (eng. John F. Harriss).

In Europe, similar ones were first installed in 1922 in Paris at the intersection of Rue de Rivoli (fr. Rue de Rivoli) and Sevastopol Boulevard (fr. Boulevard de Sebastopol) and in Hamburg on Stephansplatz (German). Stephansplatz). In England - in 1927 in the city of Wolverhampton (eng. Wolverhampton).

In connection with history, the name of the American inventor Garrett Morgan, who patented a traffic light of an original design in 1923, is often mentioned. However, he went down in history for being the first in the world in a patent except technical design indicated the purpose: “The purpose of the device is to make the order of passage through the intersection independent of the person sitting in the car.”

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

Do you know how old the traffic light is? Almost a hundred! On August 5, 1914, the traffic light was born. On this day, World Traffic Light Day is celebrated, but for the first time this invention appeared to the world much earlier, but as often happens, the first pancake came out lumpy.

In the middle of the century before last, there was complete chaos on the streets of big cities: cargo carts, carriages, horse-drawn carriages, animals, pedestrians and the miracle of technology - cars powered by a steam engine - all moved as they pleased, and often ran into each other. The thorough Englishmen were the first to become concerned traffic issue. And so on December 10, 1868, the main square of London near the building English Parliament“decorated” the traffic light. This six-meter unattractive structure, which bore only a vague resemblance to its modern elegant “great-great-grandson,” was designed by mechanic Knight, an employee of the railway department.

The complex structure was equipped with a pair of semaphore “wings”, which in a horizontal position signaled “stop”, and those located at 45° to the bottom allowed driving. At the top of the iron pole was attached a rotating lantern with gas tubes, which had red glass on one side and green glass on the other. At the base of the post there was a handle for turning the lantern, as well as a belt drive for controlling the semaphore flaps.

A staff member was allocated especially for this “dinosaur” to perform these honorable duties. Despite all the thoroughness, the traffic light lasted only 3 weeks. On January 2, 1869, the gas tubes in the lantern exploded, injuring the policeman on duty. The poor guy died from his injuries in the clinic. The traffic light was removed; no one else wanted to take the risk. And the traffic light issue was also closed in society, for more than half a century.

But of course, the glorious enthusiasts continued technical development alone. And in 1910, the American Ernst Sirrin received a patent and installed the first traffic light in Chicago that worked without human intervention. True, it only functioned during the day because it had no backlight. Two automatically alternating panels read “Stop” and “Prossed.”

In 1912, the first electric traffic light appeared. It was invented by a promising young policeman, Lester Wire, from Salt Lake City. It was a large wooden box with a sloping roof and two round windows with glass visible - red and green. Inside the “birdhouse” there were two lamps. This structure stood on an impressive pole, along which wires snaked, connecting the light bulbs and the “control panel”, which was located on the ground in a cart. Now, perhaps, this colossus would look ridiculous, but then it functioned quite successfully and aroused admiration.

So we have finally approached the day when, according to experts, a real traffic light was born. This happened on August 5, 1914 in Cleveland. Entrepreneur Garrett Morgan, soon after purchasing a car, having personally experienced all the “delights” of road traffic, used his brains and invented a traffic light. It was similar to a railway signal, the only difference being that each of the two colors now lit up automatically at a certain time interval. Later, Harriet Morgan patented his brainchild, but for some reason he succeeded only in 1923.

Further, the development of traffic lights began to move forward by leaps and bounds. Not far from the installation site, they placed a booth with a policeman monitoring the operation of the traffic light. When changing colors, a sound signal was provided, emitted by a policeman using a whistle. But this was not enough for impatient drivers; they did not want to wait: approaching a traffic light at a red light, they blew a special horn, and upon hearing the sound, the policeman switched the light to green. For the time being, all this was acceptable, but there were more and more cars, everyone who wanted to play the whistle in their own way, not excluding the policeman sitting at his post. The noise of traffic increased, and the sounds were drowned in the general cacophony, creating chaos. Something had to be done urgently. And in 1918, the traffic light acquired a third “eye” - yellow. First, such a model was installed in New York, then in Detroit, Paris, Hamburg... And our turn came on January 15, 1930, the first Soviet traffic light was installed in Leningrad, and by the end of the year - in Moscow.

To this day, the operating principle of traffic lights has remained virtually unchanged. Naturally, it is constantly being improved and modified. For example, in the original models the top signal was green, but later this place was taken by red. Over time, traffic lights began to be equipped with sound for the blind and a button for pedestrians, giving them the opportunity to independently switch colors. Signal screens began to be made in special color ranges, which are captured by people with visual impairments and color perception problems. That is, of course, traffic lights have generally accepted colors, but orange is added to red, and blue is added to green. Models with a second-by-second countdown are very convenient, so you can navigate when the color changes. Reversible traffic lights have also been created, with an additional moon-white window... And Italian scientists have developed a sensor-based traffic light that will decide when to switch. IN at the moment its tests are being carried out.

Traffic lights are quite expensive - one object, depending on the equipment, costs the treasury 30 - 80 thousand dollars. I wonder whether an unlucky resident of the village of Gorokhovka, not far from Bobruisk, who stole a pedestrian traffic light in the hope of selling it or, at worst, exchanging it for booze, imagined such a scale. But either the buyer is now too greedy, or no one in the household needs a traffic light, and soon they caught the thief red-handed at home, now they are “sewing up” a criminal case, you know...

Yes, here's something else! One Russian innovator came up with an idea: a traffic light with four windows: green - go; yellow - get ready; red - stop; bright red - “that’s it, now definitely stop!” Judging by the current situation on our roads, I think the project deserves attention

The history of driving using light signals goes back more than 3 thousand years

August 5 is International Traffic Light Day. Almost anniversary: 99 years. Not many technical inventions can boast that the UN has established a holiday in their honor. It was the automatic traffic light that for the first time made it possible to solve almost main problem road traffic - ensured fair and equal access to the road for all participants. Perhaps not all motorists celebrate the holiday, but city planners and traffic planners certainly do.

The history of traffic lights goes back many millennia. There is a known decree of the ancient Babylonian king Hammurabi (reigned around 1793 BC - 1750 BC), prohibiting chariots from blocking the passage to the palace. It was not included in the famous “laws of Hammurabi,” but specially trained slave regulators appeared at the palace. At night, the traffic controller hung a yoke with two pumpkins at the ends on his shoulders. The containers were filled with a mixture of oil (oil seeps to the surface were encountered in Iraq until the 1950s) and mineral supplements. The mixture was ignited through a wick; on the right shoulder the flame was red, on the left it was green. A living traffic light raised its hand, allowing or closing passage.

It was similar in Ancient Rome. Traffic controllers with red and green flags are still used to organize the movement of military convoys. But this is how the generally accepted colors of the traffic light arose, and not the traffic light itself. Traffic lights came into traffic with railway, and at first they were a copy of the switch semaphore for trains. The first traffic light was installed on December 10, 1868 in London near Parliament. Its inventor is John Peake Knight; semaphore specialist.

The semaphore traffic light was manually controlled and had two arrows. Raised horizontally they meant “stop”, and lowered at an angle of 45° - “carefully”. A red and green gas lamp rotated in the darkness. This device was used for the first time to signal not only vehicles, but also pedestrians wishing to cross the street. On January 2, 1869, a lamp exploded, injuring a traffic light policeman. Its design has been changed. Less than a year later, a similar device appeared on Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg.

But “traffic light day” is not associated with a gas appliance. And he regulated the movement of carriages, not cars. The USA became the pioneer of motorization. There arose an order for a traffic light from the authorities of large cities. More than 50 traffic light models were patented. The first automatic system was developed and patented in 1910 by Ernst Sirrin from Chicago. Its traffic lights used unlit Stop and Proceed signs. Lester Wire from Salt Lake City (USA) is considered the inventor of the first electric traffic light. In 1912, he developed (but did not patent) a traffic light with two round electric signals (red and green).

But we celebrate August 5, 1914, when the American Traffic Light Company installed four electric traffic lights designed by James Hogue in Cleveland. They had red and green signals and made a beep when switching. The system was not automatic and was operated by a police officer in a glass booth at the intersection. In 1920, the first three-color traffic lights with a yellow signal appeared. They were installed in Detroit and New York. The inventors were William Potts and John F. Harris. In Europe, three-color 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.

But the UN would hardly pay attention to this. Traffic Light Day is a holiday with a double bottom. Coincidentally, on August 5, 1923, American Garratt A. Morgan (1877-1963) patented the first fully automatic traffic light. He was motivated by the idea of justice. “The purpose of the product is to make the order of passage through an intersection independent of the person of the motorist,” his patent says. There was even a proverb: “God created motorists, and Garret Morgan made them equal,”

Garret Morgan is considered the “father of the traffic light”: after 1925, all traffic lights in the world were built according to his design. This continues today. By the way, he became one of the first black millionaires in the USA, and he has not the only patent for a traffic light.

Green LEDs were invented in the mid-1990s. Moscow became the first city in the world where LED traffic lights began to be used en masse. And in this year The city authorities are conducting an experiment “right on red”: the traffic light continues to be improved.

In London near the British Parliament. Its inventor, John Peake Knight, was a specialist in railway semaphores. The traffic light was manually controlled and had two semaphore arrows: raised horizontally meant a stop signal, and lowered at an angle of 45° meant moving with caution. In the dark, a rotating gas lamp was used, with the help of which red and green signals were given, respectively. The traffic light was used to make it easier for pedestrians to cross the street, and its signals were intended for vehicles - while pedestrians are walking, cars must stop. On January 2, 1869, a gas lamp at a traffic light exploded, injuring the traffic light policeman.

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

Lester Wire from Salt Lake City (Utah, USA) is considered the inventor of the first electric traffic light. In 1912, he developed (but did not patent) a traffic light with two round electric 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 for the fact that for the first time in the world, in addition to the technical design, a patent indicated a purpose: “The purpose of the product is to make the order of passage through an intersection independent of the person of the car owner.”

Types of traffic lights

Street and road traffic lights

Car traffic lights

The most common are traffic lights with signals (usually round) of three colors: red, yellow (lit for 0.5-1 seconds) and green. In some countries, including Russia, orange is used instead of yellow. Signals can be positioned either vertically (with the red signal always located on top and the green signal on the bottom) or horizontally (with the red signal always located 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 no traffic lights for the latter). Sometimes traffic light signals are supplemented with a special countdown board, which shows how long the signal will remain on. Most often, a countdown board is made for a green traffic light, but in some cases the board also displays the remaining time of the red light.

Basic traffic light signals are widespread everywhere:

a red traffic light prohibits driving beyond the stop line (if there is no traffic light) or the vehicle in front into the area protected by the traffic light,
yellow allows driving beyond the stop line, but requires a reduction in speed when entering an area protected by a traffic light, being prepared for the traffic light to switch to red,
green - allows movement at a speed not exceeding maximum level for this highway.

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

Some traffic lights provide one lunar white or several lunar white lights for a special vehicle lane that allows route traffic of vehicles. The moon-white signal is placed, as a rule, at non-standard intersections, on roads with a second double solid road, or in cases where one lane changes places with another (for example, when a tram line running in the center of a highway moves to the side of the road).

There are traffic lights of two sections - 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, when entering or leaving a parking lot, protected area, etc.

Flashing signals may also appear, the meaning of which may vary depending on local regulations. In Russia and many European countries, a flashing green signal means an upcoming switch to yellow. Cars approaching a traffic light with a flashing green signal can take timely braking measures to avoid entering an intersection protected by a traffic light or crossing a prohibiting 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 light at an intersection means that there are no traffic lights on the road being crossed, only stop signs (but the green flashing light is also on for oncoming traffic). A flashing yellow signal requires you to reduce speed to pass through an intersection or pedestrian crossing as unregulated (for example, at night, when regulation is not required due to low traffic volume). Sometimes special traffic lights are used for these purposes, consisting of one flashing or alternately flashing two yellow sections. A flashing red signal may indicate an upcoming switch to green if there is no red + yellow combination at this traffic light.

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

Arrows and arrow 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. Rules (in Ukraine, but not in all countries former USSR) are:

In traffic rules Russian Federation in paragraph 6.3, contour arrows and a colored arrow on a black background are equivalent and do not provide 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 light up for a few seconds after the main green signal turns off.

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

In some countries, for example in Ukraine, at traffic lights there are “always on” green sections, made in the form of a sign with a green arrow on a white background. The sign is located at the level of the red signal and points to the right (an arrow to the left is also provided, but can only be installed at an intersection of one-way roads). The green arrow on the sign indicates that a right (left) turn is allowed when the signal in the main section is red. When turning along such an arrow, the driver is obliged to: 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 (usually on traffic lights with one red section flashing or two red sections flashing alternately) is used to fence off intersections with tram lines when a tram is approaching, bridges during construction, road sections near airport runways when planes take off and land at a dangerous altitude . These traffic lights are similar to those used on railway crossings(see below).

Traffic lights installed at railway crossings

It consists of two horizontally located red lanterns and, at some crossings, one lunar-white lantern. 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 technical system the crossing is in good working order. Because it is not illuminated when the crossing is closed or closed, the white-moon lantern is often incorrectly considered a permissive signal.

Sometimes, instead of a lunar-white lantern, a green non-blinking lantern is installed, which, unlike the lunar-white one, is a permissive signal. Often there is no moon-white light, the traffic light consists of only two red lights.

Reversible traffic light

To regulate traffic along the lanes of the roadway (especially where reversible traffic is possible), special lane control traffic lights (reversible) 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 in 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

A T-shaped traffic light in Moscow shows the signal “traffic is prohibited”

To regulate the movement of route vehicles (trams, buses, trolleybuses), or the route movement 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
Driving to the left is allowed
Driving to the right is allowed
Movement in all directions is allowed (similar to the green signal of a car traffic light)
Driving is prohibited unless emergency braking is required to stop (similar to a yellow traffic light)
Traffic is prohibited (similar to a red traffic light)

Because of its specific appearance, the Dutch traffic light received the nickname 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: permissive and prohibitive. Typically, green and red light are used for this purpose, respectively. The signals themselves have different shape. Most often, signals are used in the form of a silhouette of a person: red - standing, green - walking. In the USA, the red signal is often performed in the form of a silhouette of a raised palm (the “stop” gesture). Sometimes the inscriptions “don’t walk” and “walk” are used (in English “Don’t Walk” and “Walk”, in other languages - similarly). In the capital of Norway, two standing figures painted 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 an option is 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 equipped with sound signals, intended for blind pedestrians, and sometimes countdown displays (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 stretch;
green - 2 or more areas are free, travel is allowed;
lunar white - an invitation signal (placed at railway stations, marshalling and freight stations).

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

Exists separate type two-color railway traffic lights - shunting ones, which give the following signals:

Sometimes a railway traffic light is mistakenly called a semaphore.

River traffic lights

River traffic lights are designed to regulate the movement of river vessels. 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 ships from approaching 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 and out of the lock chamber.

It should be noted that a non-working river traffic light (none of the signals is lit) prohibits the movement of vessels.

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, against the current and perpendicular.

Traffic lights in motorsport

In motorsports, traffic lights may be installed at marshal's stations, at the pit lane exit and at the starting line.

The starting traffic light is suspended above the track so that it is clearly visible to everyone standing at the start. Arrangement of lights: “red - green” or “yellow - green - red”. The traffic lights are duplicated on 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 starting traffic lights are as follows:

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

The signals for a standing start and a rolling start are different for this reason. The fading red does not allow you to start reflexively - this reduces the likelihood that someone will move off at the “alarming” yellow light. During a rolling start, this problem does not arise, but it is important for the drivers to know whether the start has been given (if the judge considers the starting formation to be 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 are called several traffic lights that 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 operating programs (several cam packages) - for different intersection loads. Modern traffic lights use microprocessor circuits.

IN major cities suffering from traffic jams, traffic light objects are connected to unified system traffic control (usually via a GSM modem). This allows you to quickly change traffic light operating programs (including temporarily, for several hours or days) and synchronize traffic light objects with each other with an accuracy of seconds. All programs are drawn up and approved by the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate.

For the passage of pedestrians through a busy highway, as well as at unequal intersections, call controllers are used, giving a green signal when a car is approaching from a secondary direction (for this purpose, an inductive sensor is located under the asphalt), or when the 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 additionally equipped with a TOV (time display), showing how many seconds are left before the traffic light status changes. In Russia, such traffic lights are relatively rare; they are most often 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 also useful for ordinary people.

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