Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

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traffic-light-man
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Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by traffic-light-man »

After some rooting around, I found some quite interesting footage on the RTE archives.

There are two pieces of footage that aren't directly related to the traffic signals but have plenty of good shots, and then one that is actually about the signals themselves.

These sets include footage of old worded pedestrian heads, early Irish standard right turn heads and SGEs with arrows set up to the inverted 'T' design, which I do believe was included in the UK TSRGD until at least 1957.

Dublin congestion in 1969.

Dublin traffic in 1980.

How traffic signals work.
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by A303Paul »

You would think it was london unless you looked (or listened) carefully. Even down to the ubiquitous RT buses.
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by bothar »

A303Paul wrote:You would think it was london unless you looked (or listened) carefully. Even down to the ubiquitous RT buses.
Rather more Fiats and Renaults I suspect than London.

The Swastika Laundry van in this clip (0:25) might also be a clue
http://www.rte.ie/archives/2015/1019/73 ... e-traffic/
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by bothar »

Dublin in the mid 60s, this is taken from the bus driver training film. Lots of the old concrete double lamp standards of the period on the side of the road, and Mk1 Cortinas and the like on the road.

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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by bothar »

Dun Laoghaire to Dublin (R131) in 1982.
https://vimeo.com/27435412
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by Chris584 »

Hi all,

I've been away from here for too long.

Re the inverted T on the SGE lights. When they installed the "Matchstick Man" crossings in Green Lanes Harringay they also made some of the side roads one way controlled with lights at the junctions with green Lanes. At least at one junction the side road opposite was a no entry and the SGE lights were configured in an inverted T with the arrows pointing in opposite directions.

Also, at the junction of the road opposite Waterloo Bridge (North side), you wasn't allowed to access the bridge without turning left to negotiate the Aldwych one way, but you could turn right into Strand. The Tin Head lights there had the standard head with single filter heads either side of the bottom light. What was possibly unique here was that as the lights changed to green the bottom light was red with the filters heads showing green arrows pointing left and right with the plain red light in between them.
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by bothar »

Not so many traffic lights in this Dublin 4 film in 1957, lots of concrete lampposts and pre standardisation roadsigns.
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

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Unfortunately I can't get the RTE footage to play. It tries to start but the message, "An unexpected error occurred" pops up.
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by bothar »

SGE predestrian light at the beginning, and some more concrete columns with mercury lanterns.
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by bothar »

More RTE archive footage lamenting the lack of pedestrian signals in 1969, with shots of such signals.
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by bothar »

Not many traffic lights in this one, the N11 in 1962, but a nice new dualler, a Garda patrol car and an AA man on a bike with sidecar!
http://www.rte.ie/archives/2017/0612/88 ... n-ireland/

This is the section of then new dual carriageway at the start.
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by Bryn666 »

I hadn't realised the N11 dual was that old. Great footage.
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by bothar »

Bryn666 wrote:I hadn't realised the N11 dual was that old. Great footage.
Two sections were dualled to a lower standard in 1940, see at 1:47 in the clip. I am trying to identify these for the wiki. One part of this work survived into the 1990s.
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

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Focus 2 wrote:Unfortunately I can't get the RTE footage to play. It tries to start but the message, "An unexpected error occurred" pops up.
Recently upgraded my phone and pleased to report the files play fine. Wonder why the older Windows phone objected so much.

Anyway, many thanks for the links. They're fascinating.
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by bothar »

Focus 2 wrote:
Focus 2 wrote:Unfortunately I can't get the RTE footage to play. It tries to start but the message, "An unexpected error occurred" pops up.
Recently upgraded my phone and pleased to report the files play fine. Wonder why the older Windows phone objected so much.

Anyway, many thanks for the links. They're fascinating.
try these ones
http://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/0122/76 ... e-traffic/
http://www.rte.ie/archives/2017/0105/84 ... c-control/
http://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/0616/79 ... crossings/
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

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I'm in heaven! Many thanks Bothar.
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by bothar »

Cycle training film from Dublin in the late 1940s. It seems Gardai stopped cyclists with no lights in those days, something they might usefully do in 2018.
A couple of traffic lights and old roadsigns in shot.

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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

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Road safety film from 1950 aimed at motorists
Some old signage and some SGE traffic lights

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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

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Last edited by bothar on Fri Jan 25, 2019 22:35, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Old Irish Traffic Light Footage

Post by Bryn666 »

bothar wrote: Sun Jul 17, 2016 02:42 Dun Laoghaire to Dublin (R131) in 1982.
https://vimeo.com/27435412
I know it is sped up but there are hardly any direction signs visible at all. How did anyone without a map or pigeon-esque navigational skills handle Dublin in the 1980s?

I do like the mish mash of old Irish keep left sign styles though. The curved arrow on large signs, and a 45 degree up arrow on bollards.
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