Importance of Traffic Light Control Systems

So we all know that green means go, yellow means wait, and red means stop. However, many of us don’t know about the history of traffic light control systems. The first traffic control device (like the ones we know today) was placed on top of a tower at the Rue Montmartre and Grande Boulevard in Paris. It was managed by a police officer who would operate it by hand but the first three coloured innovation first appeared in Detroit. An officer named William Potts was behind the invention who was concerned how officers couldn’t change the lights they were in charge of at the same time. A lot of history has happened since then and no doubt that these changes will continue as years go on. Below we will be going over the many pros and the importance of traffic light control systems as well as some facts that you might not have known about.

Before this invention, you can imagine that roads were pretty chaotic. Luckily these days it is no longer the case. Some of the many benefits that a traffic light control system provides might include the safe movement for cars to help them avoid collisions with cars and people. They help movement and help conduct an orderly flow by giving right of way to some cars and not others. They not only make car traffic a lot safer but also pedestrian traffic. They help reduce the number of accidents and make collisions at intersections a lot less frequent. They play a crucial and vital role when it comes to safety in our everyday lives.

Signal timing is something that plays a very important factor in all of this. It is what actually makes this function and provides people with safety in traffic flow. There are three main types of signal timing which include fixed timing, actuated timing, and coordinated timing. Fixed timing uses the same present time intervals that do not change in accordance to traffic volume. Actuated timing uses a detector that is able to adjust itself to different traffic volumes. Coordinated timing helps minimize starting and stopping at random which helps traffic flow and is less likely to create a traffic jam.

Some things that could happen if there were no traffic lights could include total chaos on the road. There would be nothing to tell people when to go and when to stop. Total gridlock would happen on a daily basis which is a nightmare for everyone! The number of accidents and fatalities would rise significantly. More and more people would also be late to school or work on a daily basis all because of the absence this one great invention. Not to mention that it would be nearly impossible for anyone to cross the road while being sure when cars are going to stop, which would also increase pedestrian related accidents. Hopefully, after reading this article you have come to appreciate just how special and convenient life can be from a single invention.