Two Queries Re 60s Traffic

[lindylou53]

I am a child of the 50s and have vague recollections of 2 things that I am convinced were around in the 60s but can't find anyone who agrees! Firstly, I am convinced that when traffic lights changed from green/red to amber, they did so simultaneously - unlike now where there is a short gap to let 'amber gamblers' rush through?! Secondly, I seem to recall there was a time when petrol pumps could only sell fuel at whole pennies, not including decimal points like nowadays?

Can anyone help?!

[fools]

Are you a viewer of talkingpicturestv, they do lots of nostalgia stuff.

[*_ash_*]

6 hours ago, lindylou53 said:

I am a child of the 50s and have vague recollections of 2 things that I am convinced were around in the 60s but can't find anyone who agrees! Firstly, I am convinced that when traffic lights changed from green/red to amber, they did so simultaneously - unlike now where there is a short gap to let 'amber gamblers' rush through?! Secondly, I seem to recall there was a time when petrol pumps could only sell fuel at whole pennies, not including decimal points like nowadays?

Can anyone help?!

Although not entirely related, I remember driving in USA, and in the opposite cycle (red to green) the was no amber. That caught me off guard a few times. Usually amber is get into gear and ready to move.  

I like though in a lot of places they have countdowns on lights.

[Tipstaff]

The sequence of traffic lights was / is as follows:

 

Red,  red and amber,  green.  Green,  amber,  red.  Hope this helps. 

 

I was 11 years old when decimalisation came in and too young to be buying fuel, so I can't assist you further, sorry!

6 hours ago, fools said:

Are you a viewer of talkingpicturestv, they do lots of nostalgia stuff.

I love this! 

[Tipstaff]

Incidentally, does anyone remember school crossing patrols and police wearing white coats and gloves to stop / regulate traffic? 

[BigPP]

IIRC when I went with my dad to fill up in the early 60's petrol was around 4/6(22.5p) a gallon or 5/0(25p) for the 'Super'

 

That equates to around 5p per litre!

 

 I remember an episode of Heartbeat where the garage owner was talking about the price of petrol and said it would never be more than 5/0 a gallon! 😀

[sovrappeso]

My Grandad used to wear one of those white coats when he was a lollipop man in the 1950s. I remember a policeman wearing a white coat & gloves at the junction where the Hole in the Road was eventually built.

In the 1950s petrol was dispensed by an attendant in gallons rather than  in £sd terms.

[RJRB]

Policemen on point duty near the Town Hall,and hand signals rather than indicators.

The “slowing down” one would still have its uses,but it was a bit of a kerfuffle as you changed gears😁

[beezerboy]

On 25/03/2022 at 13:42, lindylou53 said:

I am a child of the 50s and have vague recollections of 2 things that I am convinced were around in the 60s but can't find anyone who agrees! Firstly, I am convinced that when traffic lights changed from green/red to amber, they did so simultaneously - unlike now where there is a short gap to let 'amber gamblers' rush through?! Secondly, I seem to recall there was a time when petrol pumps could only sell fuel at whole pennies, not including decimal points like nowadays?

Can anyone help?!

Sequence was red, red & amber, green, amber, red. Here in Canada it's red, you're out of here.

[Lemmy117]

Yes you are right, the sequences changed at the same time so there was no "all red" period. At first they were controlled by a motor driving the contacts at a fixed time, then later on some form of traffic detection was used to influence the timing. Remember the "rollers" in the road just before the signals? Then came detector loops, squares cut into the tarmac with an induction loop. Now I think it is all done with microwave detectors.

In the 70's computer control began to be employed, Ferranti and GEC spring to mind and it has progressed so that each junction can be tailored. At first each junction was a separate entity, but eventually the important ones became linked, and now the whole network.

Still doesn't explain why you get stopped at every bl***y set! Although I remember a traffic engineer saying the only way you could control traffic was when it was stood still! 

 

Nigel L