Red, Yellow, Green
Only a few are aware of the fact that the type of traffic semaphore used at present was installed in Prague streets as late as 1967.
Some sources state that the very first traffic lights were first installed in Prague on the crossroads in the middle of Wenceslas Square between Vodičkova and Jindřišská Streets at the beginning of the 1930’s. Other authorities differ on the matter stating that that the first traffic light facility was installed at the crossroads of Hybernská, Dlážděná and Havlíčkova streets by Masyrykovo Railway Station in 1927.
- 19. January 2010
Mechanical signals, and later on traffic lights, were used at first on railway services, signals controlling the operation of one-way tram tracks had been used earlier than that for the control of road or tram traffic on street crossroads. As of 1911, railway semaphore, provided by Elektrické podniky hl. m. Prahy (Electric Enterprises of the Capital City of Prague) was used on one-way tracks in U kasáren, Celetná, Letenská, Křižovnická or in Radlická streets.
1927 or 1930?
The same sources state that the first light signalling facility in Prague was manufactured in ČKD Praha and was installed at the crossroads of Hybernská, Dlážděná and Havlíčkova streets by Masarykovo Railway Station as early as 1927.
Traffic lights at na Můstku and in the middle of Václavské náměstí were to follow soon.
Other sources state that the first traffic lights were in action in Prague exactly on the 21st January 1930 on the crossroad in the middle of the Wenceslas square between Vodičková and Jindřišská streets.
How, and where this all started
Europe, as well as America, had been making use of signalling facilities on railways for many years. 1841 has been mentioned as being the year in which the assembly of railway technicians in Birmingham agreed to implement light signal systems in England.
The first traffic lights with red and green light signals were installed on the crossroads in front of the London Parliament buildings in 1868. It looked very much like the now obsolete railway semaphore with arms and two gas lamps – red meant stop, green go. This innovation in road traffic came from the signalling system used for railways which had been in existence since 1841. A policeman changed the lights manually; it was mainly used for the orchestration of traffic flow so that members of parliament could cross the highly frequented road in safety. The facility was in use only for one year because one lamp tragically exploded resulting in a policeman losing his life.
In the course of modernisation
Experiments with traffic lights were renewed in Cleveland, America, in 1914. The new type of semaphore had stationary electric lamps with red and green lights and a warning acoustic signal whenever the lights changed.
Semaphore with red, green and yellow lights had been installed in New York in 1918 and was operated by a municipal clerk sitting high above the crossroads. In 1923 the first semaphores with an accompanying gong were seen in Paris, these returned to London some time in 1926. All these signalling facilities were operated manually. Allegedly, the first automatic semaphore was to be seen in Wolverhampton, Britain in 1927.
The first electric traffic lights
An 8.5 metre-high tower with a cabin in its upper part was built at the crossroads of Potsdamer Platz in Berlin in 1924 and is considered to be the first electric light signalling system in Europe. Coloured signals were installed above the cabin and individual colours were horizontally situated side by side. A policeman sitting in the cabin switched the phases manually.
This tower was reinstated as a technical relic in 1997.
The control of traffic on the busiest crossroads in Prague began on 2nd September 1919; in those days a policeman simply stood in the middle of the crossroads controlling traffic on Můstek and on the other four crossroads assisted with a cosh.
Traffic lights were not to arrive on the scene until later on. Initially a quadrilateral semaphore was hung in the centre of the crossroads and used for cars coming in from all directions as well as for pedestrians. Traffic was usually controlled by instruction from a policeman.
A more modern light signalling system was put into operation as late as around 1967. It was designed by a West German company within the framework of a modern light signalling facility for Prague. At that time special lights for each arm of a crossroads were gradually put in place for pedestrians as well as trams, along with signals with arrows showing directions.
New traffic rules came into force on 1st January 1967, which implemented for the first time special traffic lights for pedestrians and directing light signals.