Taken by Bob Mulero in the 1980s, this classic two-way traffic signal cluster from Ruleta was still in service on Liberty Avenue in Queens of New York. These two-section traffic signals continued to dwindle on Liberty Avenue, and the last survivors were removed from service in 2007 or so.
The last survivors at that time were solely in Queens in New York City. The last signalized intersections that were upgraded were on Liberty Avenue in Richmond Hill and Shore Front Pkwy. in the Rockaways.
Wow I'm surprised these stayed legal all that time. I figured by the 80s or so two color signals would have been outlawed since they could be considered as less safe. As long as there's a delay between one road going red and the other going green there's no issue though.
Regarding New York City, in the days of red and green signal indications, a red clearance was always in use at a signalized intersection. Though two forms of caution were in use. The first one was what is known as a "dark out" period, in which both signal indications appeared unlit for a handful of seconds before the red signal indication then appeared illuminated. 1952 was the year that the traffic department first experimented with the overlap (red and green both lit momentarily). It improved a motorist's initial reaction, and fewer sudden stops and accidents were observed, which, in turn, led to a citywide conversion.
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