How Traffic Signals Changed Roads | Madison News

In 1944, Cleveland installed the first electric traffic signal—marking a pivotal moment in urban mobility. Back then, roads were chaotic battlegrounds of cars, bikes, horses, and streetcars. Before this, cities like San Francisco had pioneered traffic islands in 1907, while standardizing left-hand drive in 1908 helped streamline driving. Michigan painted the first road dividing line in 1911, and Buffalo introduced the “no left turn” sign in 1916. Each small innovation laid the groundwork for safer, more organized streets—showing how far we’ve come from that wild, unregulated scramble. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/fbd6234141c9d03d