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The Marshalite: A rotary traffic signal 29 May 2008
Information Aesthetics points us to this rotary traffic signal - called "The Marshalite" - that was invented by Charles Marshall in 1936 and used between the 1940s to the 1970s in Australia. As you can see, the design is based on that of a traditional clock face and has the advantage of clearly showing the green-amber-red signal phase timing. This, of course, gives drivers more information than a modern traffic light about whether they should proceed, prepare or stop. However, it doesn't cope well with changing traffic loads and the speeding up/slowing down of phases that this necessitates.
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4 comments so far
Tamlyn 29 May 2008 12:41 PM
The traffic lights in Bangkok have digital timers that count down until the lights change (as seen in this rather poor YouTube vid). I think it works quite well although the traffic (especially motor bikes) has a tendency to start moving when the count-down gets to 5!
Zidge 29 May 2008 01:52 PM
@Tamlyn: That is why the standard three-light set-up remains the most popular type of traffic light signal in use today. The three-light system provides no information about phase timing, which means that drivers are forced to wait for the green light before pulling away. By constrast, the Marshalite and Bangkok-style variants make the phase timings visible and therefore encourage "amber gamblers".
Mark 29 May 2009 08:44 AM
I would like to find and purchase one of the original Marshalite rotary traffic lights. I lived for many years in Mt Eliza and travelled along the Nepean Highway between Mordialloc and Seafood where these traffic lights were installed until the late 1970s. Can anyone help me find one?
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