One thing you can usually rely on when driving anywhere in the United States is that traffic lights all have the same look. Green is at the bottom, yellow is in the center, and red is at the top. Most people don’t even think about that order anymore.
However, there is one extremely rare exception. There is a traffic light in a Syracuse, New York neighborhood with the colors reversed. Red is at the bottom and green is at the top. It seems like someone just made a mistake when they installed it, but in fact, it’s a piece of local history that talks about protest, identity, and a community that refused to be ignored.
Why—almost—every traffic light looks the same
Every traffic light in the United States has the same design:
- Red at the top says: Stop.
- Yellow indicates: Caution.
- Green at the bottom means: Go.
The purpose of this system? To restore order in crowded roads. Police officers had to manually direct cars at intersections before the invention of lights.
The nation decided on common guidelines to prevent misunderstandings and accidents. These regulations are now found in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Because of this, you don’t need to relearn how signals work if you know how to drive in one state.
But rules have exceptions… and Syracuse chose to take a different approach.
The upside-down light in Syracuse
Syracuse had a sizable Irish community in the early 1900s. Green was frequently associated with the Irish at the time, and red with the British. Some locals took offense when a standard traffic light with red above green was installed in the 1920s.
Therefore, they decided to show it in a very direct manner; by repeatedly smashing the red light with stones. The red lens broke again each time the city fixed it. Which was a message, not random vandalism. They were asking that “their” color, green, to be at the top.
Eventually, the signal was flipped by city officials. Red moved to the bottom and green to the top. The order changed, but the rules stayed the same—green still meant go, and red still meant stop. In addition to serving as a traffic signal, the light came to symbolize the Irish identity of the community.
More than a signal: memory and pride
It always amazes me how we can find still find today, souvenirs from older times. Tales that now, can even look silly or funny, but they keep alive memories of what people believed in, and fought for just so we can enjoy what we have today.
There are other reminders of that past besides the inverted light. A bronze statue commemorating the Irish immigrants and their protest is located in a nearby park. There is “a life-size statue of an immigrant Irish family. They are depicted looking towards the red-over-green stoplight with the father pointing towards the light in pride.” according to UncoveringNewYork.com.
That picture illustrates what the light stands for: pride in a community that desired respect rather than just a peculiar detail. Many Irish immigrants faced discrimination and hard labor in the United States. Their victory in this minor conflict over a traffic signal proved somehow the importance of their voices.
So don’t be confused if you ever visit Syracuse and notice the only upside-down traffic light in the nation. Just keep in min that the same rules apply, and enjoy the backstory, of something as ordinary as a traffic light that can hold a significant piece of local history.