The First Traffic Laws
Born in New York City in 1858, William Phelps Eno became a progressive thinking man who observed the massive traffic jams of his era, and from his observations, formulated traffic solutions that carried over from the time of horse and carriages, to the age of automobiles. In 1900, he wrote an essay called “Reform in Our Street Traffic Urgently Needed”, which immediately established him as a traffic safety expert, a title that he readily embraced.
Invented Stop Signs
In 1903, he created the world’s first traffic laws or city traffic codes (for New York City), and the first traffic plans for New York City, London, and Paris. Eno invented stop signs, envisioned one-way streets, taxi stands, pedestrian safety islands and traffic circles. He wrote the first manual of police traffic regulations, and the famous circular traffic pattern that courses around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, is his design.
Never Learned To Drive
In 1921 he established the Eno Transportation Foundation, a non-profit study center located in Washington, D.C. The foundation’s mission is to improve all modes of transportation, whether on ground, air or water. William was always a great fan of horseback riding, but he did not trust automobiles. He thought that they were only going to be a temporary fad and never bothered to learn to drive. On those occasions when he had to travel by car, he used a chauffeur or taxi and most likely shared his traffic laws along the way.
True Or False?
So, the answer to whether the first traffic laws were written by a man who never drove a car is true or false is… that it’s true.
