Page "Henry Barnes (traffic engineer)" Paragraph 5

Barnes was appointed traffic commissioner to New York City on January 15, 1962, by Mayor Robert F. Wagner, and kept on by Mayor John V. Lindsay.

In 1962, Barnes fought with domineering city planner Robert Moses and killed the planned elevated Lower Manhattan Expressway.

In 1963, he had an idea for expanding the Long Island Expressway capacity in Queens by adding three more lanes in each direction plus a second, four-lane deck above it.

The upper deck would have no exits and run inbound in the morning and outbound in the evening.

The " semi-actuated signal " that allows pedestrians to influence the change of traffic lights was another idea of Barnes, thought to have been introduced in 1964.

He was also involved in the completion of converting major avenues to one-way in New York City, a project started in 1949.

He reportedly suggested solving Manhattan's traffic problems by making all avenues one-way, north.

Barnes endorsed the use of seat belts, built municipal parking garages and implemented widespread use of parking meters.