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National Boards => General Highway Talk => Traffic Control => Topic started by: plain on July 21, 2021, 02:14:44 PM

Title: Earliest Red Arrow traffic signals
Post by: plain on July 21, 2021, 02:14:44 PM
What are the earliest red arrows you are familiar with? What's the first known one in your area?

I think they might have started in CA. When I was a kid someone donated an older set of encyclopedias to me. I believe it was the 1972 edition ( and it was probably World Book). In the Los Angeles article there was a photo showing a red left turn arrow on Wilshire Blvd near downtown.

I believe Virginia's first ones were either in Norfolk or Newport News. I don't know which was first but I'm certain both cities had them by the end of the 1970's.

Title: Re: Earliest Red Arrow traffic signals
Post by: ran4sh on July 21, 2021, 03:15:55 PM
I think CA is the first place I've seen them as well. Although it would have been in person rather than in an encyclopedia
Title: Re: Earliest Red Arrow traffic signals
Post by: plain on October 09, 2021, 03:05:14 PM
I met a dude from Elizabeth earlier and he said that NJ had Red Arrows before NY. Both places had them for a long time. Can someone help me out with this?
Title: Re: Earliest Red Arrow traffic signals
Post by: plain on October 09, 2021, 03:08:04 PM
Quote from: ran4sh on July 21, 2021, 03:15:55 PM
I think CA is the first place I've seen them as well. Although it would have been in person rather than in an encyclopedia

Thanks!! I still think CA were the first.
Title: Re: Earliest Red Arrow traffic signals
Post by: thenetwork on October 10, 2021, 01:26:05 PM
I want to say that the first time I saw red-arrow signals was in Delaware in 1984.
Title: Re: Earliest Red Arrow traffic signals
Post by: Rick1962 on October 10, 2021, 08:01:40 PM
Pittsburgh, early '90s (an eight-inch, no less).

SM-T580

Title: Re: Earliest Red Arrow traffic signals
Post by: plain on October 11, 2021, 02:02:32 PM
Quote from: Rick1962 on October 10, 2021, 08:01:40 PM
Pittsburgh, early '90s (an eight-inch, no less).

SM-T580

That is definitely interesting. I don't think I've seen an 8-inch red arrow before (I've seen plenty of yellow and green ones though)
Title: Re: Earliest Red Arrow traffic signals
Post by: Mr Kite on October 12, 2021, 10:41:51 AM
In the UK, we're still waiting for ours.
Title: Re: Earliest Red Arrow traffic signals
Post by: jakeroot on October 23, 2021, 10:20:33 PM
Quote from: Mr Kite on October 12, 2021, 10:41:51 AM
In the UK, we're still waiting for ours.

Quite a lot of Canada doesn't use them either. Only Quebec, if I recall correctly.
Title: Re: Earliest Red Arrow traffic signals
Post by: KCRoadFan on October 25, 2021, 07:18:07 AM
The first one I remember seeing was in Paducah, KY, sometime in 1997 or "˜98. We lived in Florida at the time. (Then again, I was only born in 1993.)
Title: Re: Earliest Red Arrow traffic signals
Post by: DrSmith on October 25, 2021, 09:06:42 AM
The first one I saw was probably 90 or 91 on the Black Horse Pike and Ganttown Rd in Turnersville, NJ.
When the shopping plaza was built, the intersection was widened and movements were added for the plaza as it was a field before.
Originally, the overhead left turn signals were 3M's and the pole mounts had the red arrows only.
That was a change from the prior tradition of using and 8-8-12 left turn signal pole mounted to the side.

https://goo.gl/maps/X5pzzLWQKNySyen16
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