1868day.year
The first traffic lights are installed, outside the Palace of Westminster in London. Resembling railway signals, they use semaphore arms and are illuminated at night by red and green gas lamps.
On December 9, 1868, London saw the installation of the world's first traffic lights outside the Palace of Westminster, using semaphore arms and gas lamps.
Innovator John Peake Knight designed the traffic signal system based on railway semaphore technology.
The device featured pivoting arms to control vehicle movement by day and red and green gas lamps by night.
Installed near the Houses of Parliament, it aimed to reduce accidents between horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians.
Despite its promise, the gas-lit semaphore signals were removed after a year due to a gas leak-caused explosion.
The concept, however, paved the way for modern electric traffic lights introduced decades later.
This pioneering experiment marked a significant moment in urban transport management.
1868
traffic lights
Palace of Westminster
railway signals
semaphore
gas lamps