Lasting Effects

Today, with a trained eye, the effects of Henry Barnes on Baltimore can be seen. A good example would be the move of the Johns Hopkins monument from in the middle of the roadway at N Charles Street & E 34th Street seen below in first picture to the current location in the second picture, Charles Street & 33rd Street.

Source:(First Photo-LIFE) (Second Photo-Google Maps)

Lot of older traffic equipment still exists and is still in use. An historian could see this as a time capsule, maybe to study of what was. Much of the transportation infustructure build up during the 1950's is left in disrepair but still in use. Take for example the intersection of Waterview Ave and Annapolis Road, the span-wire holding signals up had to be supported by a nearby wooden electric/phone poll but originally it had its own independent poll. A view of today is in the photo below.

.Source:Google Maps

Another relevant photo below is of Annapolis Road and South Monroe Street. An assembly for the 1950's still exists know as a "double guy" because of two signals place close together on a suspended pole.

.Source:Google Maps

It is interesting to see these intersections stand the test of time. Maybe it is a testament on how well planned the traffic system of Baltimore was or it could be the state of affairs of the city financially. As the tax base fled from Baltimore in the 1960's, funding for all projects including transportation went down. One of my associates, Ryan McLearen, said it was so bad in the 1990's that the traffic division reused electrical wire and taped them together to get an intersection working.

Traffic Signals

(Picture Source: Personal Collection)
Barnes realized the traffic signals importance in Baltimore's roadways. Baltimore's traffic control was outdated and awkward when he arrived in 1953. A simple change that was implemented was the color of traffic signals. According to Adam Paul, The arrival of Henry Barnes in 1953 signaled the change to yellow paint seen on virtually every signal since!" (Source:BTCO) Changing the color from green to yellow increased the target value or the visibility of the signals thus increasing safety and became a national standard. First two pictures is of a Crouse-Hinds DT signal that was hand-painted yellow by Baltimore crews. (Picture Source:Personal Collection)

Barnes also took into consideration, the pedestrian traffic. Early on in his ca

reer Barnes improved on a traffic plan later known as the Barnes Dance. According to Richard Weingroff of the US Department of Transportation, [it is when]...all traffic at an intersection is halted so pedestrians can cross in any direction, including diagonally. (Source:USDOT) The configuration of signals within Baltimore changed to help make Baltimore more pedestrian friendly. According to Willis Lamm, "...Baltimore specs with tunnel visors for the red and yellow sections and a cap visor for the green section. The idea presumably for the green cap visor was to make it easier for pedestrians to see the green light but limit the side splash of the brighter yellow and red colors."(Source:Willis Lamm) An example of this can be seen today at Maryland Ave and West Biddle Street as in the third picture of this page (Picture Source: Google Maps)

Not only were the traffic signals m

odified but separate pedestrian signals were installed in Baltimore. Adam Paul points out that, "Pedestrian signals were not all too common until 1955, when 740 WALK-WAIT lights and 115 Neon DON'T WALK units were purchased. It appears that these were the round GE units, as these units began to appear at the same time as the GE traffic signals did." (Source:BTCO) As a cost cutting measure, Barnes choose to purchase General Electric's new signal made from stamped aluminum. This is significant to Baltimore as these models were economical and allowed for more

signals to be installed, changing the landscape of Baltimore. The fourth and fifth picture on this page is an ad from General Electric adverting the new signal. (Picture Source:Personal Collection) When the GE signals were installed they also sported the pedestrian helpful visor configuration such as the sixth picture. (Picture Source:Personal Collection)

Under Barnes direction, Baltimore updated their traffic control system so that the traffic light timing was dynamic according to traffic levels. In another Baltimore first, they, "installed a traffic-control computer that was, in 1957, the largest of its kind in the world." (Source:City Paper) Below is a picture of Barnes in the control room for city traffic, setting the timing of the controller

.(Picture Source:Time Magazine)

Barnes also monitored traffic patterns to program the traffic controllers to real traffic conditions,as seen above. (Picture Source: Time Magazine)

To better understand traffic timing, the above video is pretty interesting. The Baltimore system set up by Barnes and other engineers made traffic manageable. Below is a example of the traffic controllers Baltimore interconnected within the system (Picture Source: Personal Collection)

Street Report

Barnes changed the face of the streets of Baltimore. According to Tom Chalkley of the City Paper, "As Baltimore's traffic commissioner, Barnes rerouted not only Charles but also Calvert, St. Paul, and any number of lesser streets in the mid-'50s, upsetting centuries-old traditions in the process." (Source:City Paper). One of the first changes was creating one-way streets in Baltimore. According to Bill Cady of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, "His 172-page report identified a gamut of problems: the out-of-date master controller of traffic signals, "the lack of one-way streets, the free-for-all truck routes, the menacing monuments that cluttered up the avenues, the busses and cabs that operated as though they were fueled with high-octane Bourbon, and the pedestrians who just didn’t give a damn. But, worst of all, was the Baltimore Traffic Commission" whose meetings reminded him of "the Marx Brothers in 'A Night at the Opera'." And, of course, Baltimore still had streetcars, which, he said, he "didn't mind … except for the fact they ran on streets." (Source:Enoch Pratt Free Library)The first picture above is a picture of the Baltimore City Sign Shop "gearing up" for one way roads. In the photo is Henry Barnes and the sign shop supervisor (Photo Source:Time Magazine).

His report showed outdated and dangerous intersections with in Baltimore. An example would the second picture of Harford Road and Walther Boulevard (Photo Source:Enoch Pratt Free Library) According to the accompanying report, "This intersection has a wide expanse of open area, which permits uncontrolled vehicle paths thus creating a high accident potential." (Source:Enoch Pratt Free Library) The report also highlighted outdated equipement such as older signals pole mounted that are obscured or hard to see. An example would be Eager St. & Fallsway intersection pictured below. (Source:Enoch Pratt Free Library)

Continuing Research

After some clarification from class, I will post my entire research day by day loaded full of pictures and other media instead of a long and uneventful paper. The past few weeks have been busy and I was not clear how to go about writing this research. I have visited the Baltimore Streetcar Museum and The Enoch Pratt Free Library and collected information from associates and from my personal collection . I don't want this research to be a bio of Barnes but a view into the important changes that happened during his time in Baltimore. It will focus on street layout and traffic engineering projects that are still in place today and affects how Baltimore internally works. These aspects are something everyone is affected by whether on foot, car, bus or train.

Research

I was hoping to do my project on Henry Barnes (above from LIFE Mag). He was the Traffic Commissioner for Baltimore during the 1950's to early 1960. His work still has a lasting effect on how traffic moves through the City of Baltimore. I have always been interested in roads/transportation and I think this project will let me dive more into the topic. I will explore what changes he made and how they affected Baltimore as a whole.