Analog Traffic Signal

What a brilliant idea; this analog rotating traffic signal, designed by Charles Marshall in 1936 and used in Australia until the seventies, gave drivers a graphic, intuitive understanding of how much time they have left and how long they have to wait until the next change. Imagine a modern version done in LEDs. Smoother traffic, less road rage, and lower power consumption!

Unfortunately it (1) doesn't conform to international standards (of putting red on top, yellow in the middle and green on bottom) which (2) leads to problems for folks who are color blind and can't tell the difference between red and green. With a little bit of thought, I'm sure that can be fixed.

In India, traffic lights with LED countdowns are not uncommon - they tell the drivers how long before the lights will change, and tell the peds how much time they have to cross. Works well.