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Traffic Lights

Initially considered inferior to hand signalling by traffic police as a form of traffic management, traffic lights were first tested in mid-1928 at the intersection of Swanston and Flinders streets. After the unsatisfactory performance of a manually operated mechanical device, an electric Recco Traffic Control was installed in October 1928 at the corner of Collins and Swanston streets, its red, amber and green

bullseye lights bearing the words stop, caution and go. By mid-1929 lights were in synchronised operation at a number of Swanston Street intersections, addressing the growing problems of simultaneous control of vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

Andrew May