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The first city to use traffic lights

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AB Editor | 12:54 Thu 15th Dec 2005 | Quizzes & Puzzles
4 Answers

Hi Quiz and Puzzlers,


In our recent Facts & Trivia newsletter, we mentioned that London was the first city to install traffic lights - located at the intersection of Bridge Street and George Street, outside the Houses of Parliament, in 1868.


We've since received a letter asking if it wasn't actually in Wolverhampton.


Can anyone shed some light on the controversy?


AB Editor

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It appears that Wolverhampton had the first 'automatic' traffic lights in 1927 - perhaps this is where the confusion has arisen?
(According to Shell Book of Firsts) The London lights were manually controlled by a policeman and installed to allow MPs to cross the road.They were removed in 1872. First lights to control traffic streams were in Cleveland Ohio in 1914, and first in UK the Wolverhampton ones.

ABEd.


The first automatic traffic lights were installed in Wolverhampton. London did pre-date them but they were of a type that the police officer at the junction had to physically move the kit. Thus Wolvers is first.


Old chesnut this one.

London could have been the first city as Wolverhampton did not assume city status until 2001.

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