Traffic lights in Croydon

This rare sepia‑toned image captures one of Croydon’s earliest pedestrian‑controlled crossings in the early 1930s. A well‑dressed lady pauses to press the “Pedestrian Signal” button beside a trio of cast‑iron traffic lights, signalling motorists to stop and allowing safe passage across the busy thoroughfare. Beyond her, passers‑by pause to observe the new technology, while period shopfronts and the borough’s tidy Edwardian buildings form the urban backdrop.

Historical Context
First trialled in Wolverhampton in 1927, push‑button pedestrian signals were adopted by progressive boroughs like Croydon soon afterwards. By 1932, these mechanical “traffic lights” represented cutting‑edge road safety measures, marrying electrical engineering with early notions of traffic management. Croydon—rapidly expanding as a South London shopping and transport hub—proved an ideal testbed, its trams, motor buses and increasing private‑car traffic demanding innovative controls.

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