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Born | 13 January 1828 Nottingham |
Died | 23 July 1886 | Age 58 London |
John Peake Knight - 1868
The first pedestrian crossing was erected in Bridge Street, Westminster, London, in December 1868. Knight, a railway engineer, wanted a safe way to allow pedestrians to cross this busy thoroughfare.
The traffic signal constructed by the railway signal engineers Saxby & Farmer. It used gas lamps, and was manually operated. A police constable used a lever at the base of the light pole to switch between the red and green lamps.

Zebra Crossing 1951
The zebra crossing was first installed in Slough, Berkshire England on the 31st October 1951. Authorities were looking for a way to make pedestrian crossings more visible to road users and the public.