December 1868. Traffic Lights for Westminster

Novelty has been for some time, is now, and will be for some time to come, the order of the day at St Stephen’s, Westminster, and its purlieus.

In the House itself some new men, and probably a good many new measures, may be looked for; and new private bills, a new underground railway, new government offices and, what we have to do with specially at present, a new method of street signalling for the regulation of the traffic.

Yesterday a handsome semaphore signal post, which has been in process of erection at Westminster for several days past, was uncovered after the manner of an inaugurated statue, and from today the attempt is to be made in that locality to regulate the street traffic by the description of signals now universally used on the railroads.

1868 Traffic Lights