Earliest Pedestrian Signal In New York City

[M3019C LPS20]

In the early 1930s, the city of New York experimented with a handful of signals that were dedicated to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and they were installed on one segment of 5th Avenue. Below, is a photograph of one (the signal to the right).




This signal was designed by a gentleman by the name of Dr. John F. Harriss. He was once the special deputy police commissioner in charge of traffic control in New York City in the early 20th century. With regards to his signal, there were a total of six signal indications, not to mention a large hand in the center of the signal. The two largest signal indications were red and green signal indications, and they were dedicated to motorists. The four small signal indications (violet signal indications from what I have heard) surrounded the large hand. When illuminated, the large hand indicated to motorists to stop, since pedestrians had the right-of-way. Pedestrians were indicated to cross when the four violet signal indications were illuminated. This special movement occurred in between vehicular phases, and this was perhaps a predecessor to what is known today as the "Barnes Dance."

Little is known after the city experimented with Harriss' signal, but it seems, from what I have seen in photographs, that what were experimented with were removed from service. In spite of this, pedestrian signals would reappear in the picture in the early 1950s, and, by the mid 1950s, they would spread like wildfire throughout the city and its outer boroughs. 

[Milepost61]

So we've gone from hand signals, to text WALK/DONT WALK, back to hands. Everything old is new again! Cool picture.

[empirestate]

I always enjoy, in old photos such as this one, how uniformly men wore topcoats and hats. Except for that one interloper on the bottom right.