Share or Save arrow27 Responses
  1. Tom
    January 22, 2009 - 2:56 pm

    The “dial” lights are listed both as Australian (until the 70′s) and then later as Swedish… which is it?

  2. Liz
    January 22, 2009 - 9:30 pm

    Loved your post! It’s amazing how some of the designs make waiting at a light pleasurable!

  3. Thomas
    January 22, 2009 - 9:56 pm

    #13 is a replica of Berlin´s first traffic light from 1924. (:

    Regards from Berlin
    Thomas

  4. Ryan
    January 22, 2009 - 10:35 pm

    Awesome. Wish we had some more interesting street lights here in Indy.

  5. Marco
    January 22, 2009 - 11:34 pm

    No. 2 are lights from eastern Germany, when Germany was still divided in two parts. They were went to changed, but the people loved them so they are still there until they break.

    Rockin’ regards,
    Marco

  6. Slyman Simo
    January 23, 2009 - 6:05 am

    I have walked past the last one several times. The lights constantly change. The thing is, the statue is in the middle of a roundabout so traffic approaching see it and have a coronary!

  7. Leon
    January 23, 2009 - 6:26 am

    “The Germans have always been known as the lovers of fairy sex.”

    …what?

  8. Me
    January 23, 2009 - 8:13 am

    I’ve lived in Toronto my whole life and we do NOT have those LED lights. I don’t know where this person is getting their information.

  9. Sean
    January 23, 2009 - 8:16 am

    I’m fairly certain that it could be both, very rarely are things ever developed in a vacuum. I wouldn’t be surprised if a person in one of the countries saw it and thought “I like that idea, lets do it!”.

  10. DeadlyRed
    January 23, 2009 - 8:48 am

    And most of the German stoplights (with the exception of the 13 one) aren’t stoplights but they’re for when people should walk/not walk

  11. Tim Lewis
    January 23, 2009 - 12:28 pm

    Don’t quote me on this, but if I recall they were originally found in quite a few places, but were phased out. They were last in Australia in the 70′s, but there is a group or movement or something in Sweden to bring them back. But again, that could be totally wrong, its half remembered anecdotal stories.

  12. admin
    January 23, 2009 - 6:48 pm

    Indeed, you are right. The picture of sweden traffic lighs was incorrect. I apologize for my mistake. I’ve just attached correct image.

  13. Aussie Expert
    January 24, 2009 - 7:32 pm

    Bullshit. The dial traffic signals were NEVER used in Australia. And the 14 signal lights in La Trobe Street? Not there, dude. I live in Melbourne, believe me! This is crap. Utter crap.

  14. AX
    January 24, 2009 - 11:47 pm

    “The Germans have always been known as the lovers of fairy sex. The next traffic lights prove this opinion. The traffic lights are located in Dresden, Germany.”

    I don’t see the relation between fairy sex and a little girl on a streetlight…

  15. AX
    January 24, 2009 - 11:48 pm

    The Germans have always been known as the lovers of fairy sex. The next traffic lights prove this opinion. The traffic lights are located in Dresden, Germany.

    I don’t see the relation between fairy sex and a little girl on a streetlight…

  16. Bamber
    January 25, 2009 - 4:27 pm

    Toronto doesn’t have weird lights like that. I’d even guess that the picture is not even a traffic light at all… maybe just a sign in a Japanese store?

  17. wendy
    January 25, 2009 - 11:15 pm

    The “timed” lights in Japan may be real, but the ones in Toronto are nothing like that. There’s an extra light on the bottom of the stack which counts down the number of seconds until the light turns yellow. It’s supposed to be for pedestrians to gauge if they have time to cross, but drivers find them useful too, as they approach the light.

  18. erwin
    January 27, 2009 - 5:11 am

    The Amsterdam ‘bike’ traffic lights are mounted underneath the regular (high-up) trafficlights. On eye level for bikers. That way, bikers don’t have to crane their necks to see the normal lights.

  19. Fiona
    January 27, 2009 - 12:05 pm

    Taiwan has timed traffic lights too.

    The best thing though is that the ‘green man’ light for pedestrians is animated. Until it gets to ten the man is walking. Once it starts counting from ten, he runs for it!

  20. Rush
    January 30, 2009 - 12:08 am

    Perhaps the famed “upside down” light should be included:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipperary_Hill

  21. Timbo
    January 30, 2009 - 10:01 pm

    The Australian “Dial” Lights did indeed exist. They were decommissioned because drivers, seeing the amount of time left on yellow/green, would rush the lights.

    I last saw these in the 80′s around Elsternwick, but they were just for decoration by then.

  22. Brandonio
    February 4, 2009 - 3:45 am

    Somebody’s gonna get killed.

  23. Genesis
    February 7, 2009 - 4:10 pm

    @ Aussie Expert:

    Either you’re blind or don’t live in Melbourne at all. The lights are on Swanston street heading into the city when you cross La Trobe street. On the corner of the Library. Opposite Melbourne Central and RMIT.

  24. David
    June 16, 2009 - 5:53 pm

    “Actually the road officers are mad about such an idea because they can take the traffic lights anywhere and prove you are moving when the lights are red.”

    What are you talking about those lights are to control traffic when there are temporary road works going on, not for police to tow around and catch people running red lights…!

  25. Mark
    October 19, 2009 - 9:05 pm

    I remember seeing those Australian “dial” traffic lights in operation in Melbourne around late 1950s / early 1960s. I recall a set on Bridge Road in Richmond (at Church Street, if I recall correctly), and another set at Chelsea railway station.

  26. Mark
    October 20, 2009 - 11:07 am

    Another comment — That set of 14 lanterns on the corner of Swanston and La Trobe Streets in the Melbourne CBD isn’t as complicated as it looks. The triplet of lights second from the left gives general directions; there are triplets specifically for left and right turns; and there are stop and go lights specifically for bicycles. That’s all self-explanatory and clear in intent.

    The triplet of lights second from the right (with the white arrow) is for trams. The red and amber lights in that triplet will have a ‘T’ instead of an arrow — so it will be quite clear that they don’t apply to general traffic. A general go direction specifically for trams is given by a white ‘T’ (there is no green ‘T’). Similar rules apply to ‘B’ signals for buses.

  27. rob
    November 25, 2010 - 11:04 pm
Mobile Theme | Switch To Regular Theme