William Phelps Eno (June 3, 1858 – December 3, 1945) was an American businessman responsible for many of the earliest innovations in
road safety
Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, horse riders, and passengers of on-road ...
and traffic control. He is sometimes known as the "Father of traffic safety", despite never having learned to drive a car himself.
Among the innovations credited to Eno are traffic regulations, the
stop sign
A stop sign is a traffic sign designed to notify drivers that they must come to a complete stop and make sure the intersection is safely clear of vehicles and pedestrians before continuing past the sign. In many countries, the sign is a red oc ...
, the pedestrian crosswalk, the
traffic circle
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection (road), intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The N ...
, the
one-way street
One-way traffic (or uni-directional traffic) is traffic that moves in a single direction. A one-way street is a street either facilitating only one-way traffic, or designed to direct vehicles to move in one direction. One-way streets typical ...
, the
taxi stand
A taxicab stand (also called taxi rank, cab stand, taxi stand, cab rank, or hack stand) is a queue area on a street or on private property where taxicabs line up to wait for passengers.
Operation
Stands are normally located at high-traffic loc ...
, and
pedestrian safety islands. His rotary traffic plan was put into effect at
Columbus Circle
Columbus Circle is a traffic circle and heavily trafficked intersection in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South ( West 59th Street), and Central Park West, at the so ...
, New York City, in 1905, at the
Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''étoile'' ...
in Paris, 1907,
Piccadilly Circus in 1926, and the Rond Point on the
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is lo ...
in 1927.
History
Eno was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, the youngest child of
Amos R. Eno and his wife, Lucy Jane Phelps, daughter of
Elisha Phelps
Elisha Phelps (November 16, 1779 – April 6, 1847) was a United States representative from Connecticut. He was the son of Noah Phelps and father of John Smith Phelps who was a United States Representative from Missouri. He was born in Simsb ...
. He attended
Hopkins Grammar School
Hopkins School is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational, day school for grades 7–12 located in New Haven, Connecticut.
In 1660, Edward Hopkins, seven-time governor of the Connecticut Colony, bequeathed a portion of his estate to found s ...
in New Haven and
Williston Academy
Williston Northampton School (simply referred to as Williston) is a Independent school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational, Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding college-preparatory school in Easthampton, Massachusetts, United S ...
, and graduated from
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
in 1882, where he had been a member of
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...
.
Eno died of bronchopneumonia, and is buried in Center Cemetery,
Simsbury, Connecticut
Simsbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 24,517 at the 2020 census. The town was incorporated as Connecticut's 21st town in May 1670.
History
Early history
At the beginning of the 17th century, the ...
.
Traffic regulations
Though
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
s were rare until Eno was an older man,
horse-drawn carriage
A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...
s were already causing significant traffic problems in urban areas like Eno's home town of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. In 1867, at the age of 9, he and his mother were caught in a traffic jam. He later wrote, "That very first traffic jam (many years before the motor car came into use) will always remain in my memory. There were only about a dozen horses and carriages involved, and all that was needed was a little order to keep the traffic moving. Yet nobody knew exactly what to do; neither the drivers nor the police knew anything about the control of traffic." As reported in 1909:
["New York Owes Much to Traffic Guardians", William E. Curtis, ''The Washington Evening Star'' and ''The Chicago Record-Herald'', New York, June 12, 1909]
:The regulation of street traffic was unknown in New York up to the year 1900, and although the number of carriages, automobiles, delivery wagons, trucks and other vehicles was much smaller than it is to-day, blockades were frequent throughout the city. Often the greater part of a day was consumed in transporting merchandise from one point to another, especially in the downtown shopping districts, while charges were proportionate to the time consumed. Quarrels between police, truckmen and cab-men were common, and it was only by resort to the "night stick" that in many instances blockades could be cleared away. There was no bureau of street traffic, no traffic squad and not one officer employed on the street to keep vehicles moving.
:These conditions provoked much complaint and criticism in private and in public, but nothing was done to correct them until William Phelps Eno, a public-spirited citizen who spends his winters in Washington, undertook to secure a change. He asserted that to accomplish anything worthwhile three things were necessary:
::1. We must have concise, simple and just rules, easily understood, obeyed and enforced under legal enactment.
::2. These rules must be so placed and circulated that there can be no excuse for not knowing them.
::3. The police must be empowered and ordered to enforce them, and men should be trained for that purpose.
In 1900, Eno wrote a piece on traffic safety entitled ''Reform in Our Street Traffic Urgently Needed''. In 1903, he wrote a city traffic code for New York, the first such code in the world, and subsequently designed traffic plans for New York, London, and Paris.
Rotaries (traffic circles)
During that same year, Eno proposed the first version of today's
roundabout
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...
s or
traffic circle
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection (road), intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The N ...
s, which he termed "the rotary or gyratory traffic system". In his 1920 book, Eno recalled that "in 1903, the New York Police Department asked that a plan be suggested for Columbus Circle, where accidents were occurring almost daily. It was advised that vehicles should keep to the right, going around the circle in one direction instead of two. In 1905, the plan was put in operation.... In 1907, the system was put in operation at the ''Arc de Triomphe'' in Paris, but whether due to the suggestion sent them from New York or not is not clear." His 1909 book, ''Street Traffic Regulation'', contains a diagram of the Columbus Circle rotary.
One-way streets
Eno also appears to have introduced one-way streets, as recalled in ''The Science of Highway Traffic Regulation 1899-1920'', page 39: "On the author's advice, One-Way Traffic was put in force in a few streets in New York in the spring of 1908; in Boston in the autumn of the same year; in Paris in 1909, where it has since been greatly extended, and in Buenos Aires in 1910. It is now used in many cities throughout the world."
Recognition and honors
In 1921 Eno founded the Eno Foundation for Highway Traffic Control in
Westport, Connecticut
Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census.
History
...
, today a think tank known as the
Eno Center for Transportation
The Eno Center for Transportation is a non-profit, independent organization based in Washington, D.C. with the mission to shape public debate on critical multimodal transportation issues and to build an innovative network of transportation profes ...
. The Center is a non-profit organization with the mission of improving transportation policy and leadership. His Westport office has been recreated as the William Phelps Eno Memorial Center in the
Simsbury Free Library
Simsbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 24,517 at the 2020 census. The town was incorporated as Connecticut's 21st town in May 1670.
History
Early history
At the beginning of the 17th century, the ...
in
Simsbury, Connecticut
Simsbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 24,517 at the 2020 census. The town was incorporated as Connecticut's 21st town in May 1670.
History
Early history
At the beginning of the 17th century, the ...
.
Eno was awarded the cross of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
by the French government, and was one of the first honorary members of the
Institute of Transportation Engineers
The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) is an international educational and scientific association of transportation professionals who are responsible for meeting mobility and safety needs. ITE facilitates the application of technology and ...
. He was a member of the
New York Yacht Club
The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...
and the first owner of the steam yacht
''Aquilo'', built in Boston in 1901.
Writings
* ''Street Traffic Regulation'', The Rider and Driver Publishing Company, 1909
* ''The Science of Highway Traffic Regulation 1899-1920'', 1920
* ''Fundamentals of Highway Traffic Regulation'', 1926
* ''Simplification of Highway Traffic'', 1929
* ''Crime, A National Disgrace'', 1938
* ''The Story of Highway Traffic Control 1899-1939'', 1939
* ''The Parking Problem'', 1942
Further reading
*John A. Montgomery, ''Eno — The Man and the Foundation: A Chronicle of Transportation'', 1988
References
External links
''Time'' Magazine Vault, 1945-12-17Eno's obituary notice (bottom of page 90)
Institute of Transportation Engineers biographySimsbury Free Library biographyEno Center for Transportation websitePlan to move Eno mansion fails, saving Sherwood Island State Park from development
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eno, William Phelps
American businesspeople
1858 births
1945 deaths
Yale University alumni