Willis Lamm's Traffic Signal Collection Special Presentation   STREET SMARTS! PRESERVING THE PAST and SAVING MONEY

I'll admit that I've always been about repurposing serviceable equipment. There is clearly a time and a place for new gear, but oftentimes the solution to a signaling need is laying about in a warehouse, or is excess at an allied agency that is willing to hand over what they no longer want. Originally, my goal was to save my agency more in costs than my salary when doing such projects, but I learned that there was also an aesthetic value to repurposing older signal equipment when it was appropriate for installation in a particular location. Back in the 1980s and 90s, the optics were predominantly incandescent. Rewiring old sockets and making sure that door gaskets didn't leak could be time consuming, and time was money. But even before the advent of "quick and easy" LED retrofits that resolved a number of those issues, it was often more cost-effective to clean up and repurpose well-made vintage signals than buy new. And 30 years later, those older pieces, when properly refurbished, are holding up better than many of the newer products.   DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION: Utility vs. Aesthetics Decades ago many cities experienced flight from their downtown districts, with significant businesses relocating to mega shopping malls or becoming anchor stores in their own shopping centers. This trend produced challenges with respect to maintaining economic vitality in historic core shopping districts, and in many instances, preserving tax bases when volume businesses moved into neighboring jurisdictions and/or downtown property values decreased. Over time, successful downtown business districts found new niches, often by creating atmospheres that produced an ambiance that attracted high-end specialty chains and locally owned specialty businesses and their clientele. A resurgence of boutique businesses, those small business that specialized in specific types of merchandise or services and that provided greater personal service than the high volume stores, created a market for rental properties in those downtown districts that their clientele found to be attractive. For those unfamiliar with the term, "boutique business" could apply to nearly any small business in a wide range of merchandise and service fields, such as dressmaking, bakeries, leather and shoe repair, metal fabrication, saddleries and tack stores, collectibles shops, cafes, florists, etc. If a downtown district was attractive and parking wasn't an issue, many of these downtown districts could be practical and cost-effective locations in which to do business. Oftentimes cities would spend vast sums on custom paving, decorative sidewalks and plantings, expensive vintage replica street lighting, antique benches and even decorative trash cans, but the traffic signaling equipment that was installed could have been more suited to an outlying industrial park. Winter Park, FL., S. Park Ave. & W. Lyman Ave. The city actually modified new equipment available at the time to produce a traditional appearance. Other cities used a less costly approach and refurbished equipment that they had on-hand. (Albemarle, NC, N. Second and E. North Streets. These signals were manufactured in the 1930s and 40s.) The Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) prescribes standards for traffic signaling equipment. Most notably, older signals equipped with 8-3/8 inch indications are now only approved for roadways where the speed is not greater than 40 MPH. In addition, the standards call for more than one red indication to provide redundancy in the event a red lamp failed. Therefore, repurposing vintage equipment may not be appropriate for every intersection and some traffic management strategies call for use of protected turn indications and other specialties. However, most historic districts involve low speed limits and the roadways are simple. But even on boulevards, there are often conditions where the repurposing of older equipment is compliant and preserves historic character. Gadsden, AL, Broad and Second Streets. Restored 1950s vintage signals over a wide, low speed boulevard. Seattle, WA, First Ave. and S. King St. 1940s vintage signals on 100 year-old lamp posts. Sometimes refurbishing and repurposing older equipment just makes economic sense. (New Haven, CT, York and Chapel Streets.) Continue to Part Two Return to Signals Page