In recognition of traffic lights being in use for 150 years BLT weighs in on the progression of public lighting

It has been 150 years since the first public traffic light was used in England, sparking interest from lighting specialists BLT about the progression that public lighting has seen over the years.

Installed outside of the Houses of Parliament in 1868, the traffic light was invented by JP Knight and unlike it’s modern day version, was powered by gas, using red and green lights that were illuminated by a flame in order to signal stop and go.

Following the explosion of one of a traffic light of this sort, the project for public lighting was put on hold which hindered the development of the technology for quite some years.

Steve Ellwood, managing director of BLT said: “Traffic lights are one of the greatest modern day inventions, so it’s important to celebrate this milestone and appreciate how far the technology has advanced since its inception.

“Over the past few years, many of the light signals on our streets have been replaced by LED options, which is good as this is high-quality and energy-efficient light source that is more beneficial to the environment. We hope to see all traffic lights on our streets becoming LED and are also encouraging people to invest in this type of lighting for their homes.”

The first ever visible light LED was invented in 1962 by Nick Holonyack, a consulting engineer for a lighting company.

Modern day LED optic traffic lights don’t have a colour in the lens because the LEDs already give off coloured light. In bright sunlight, these type of traffic signals will never appear lit, making them a safer choice for road users.

The light source boasts high energy-efficiency and uses around 90% less power than incandescent bulbs, making it an excellent choice for homeowners that are keen to reduce the cost of their bills each month.

For more information about BLT and their product range visit their website at: www.bltdirect.com