Edward N. Hines Credited with Center Line Concept
The line you’re not supposed to cross, well, at least the one while you’re driving, is credited to a road innovator by the name of Edward N. Hines. The center line painted on roads, which is integral to your driving safety as well as the safety of those driving in the opposite direction, made its debut in 1911, on a Trenton, Michigan, street — River Road.
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According to Wikipedia, Hines got the idea for the road safety feature drivers everywhere take for granted but are grateful for its presence if they took a moment to think about it, after he witnessed a trail of milk left by a milk wagon as it traveled down the road.
At first glance, painting a line down the center of a road seems like a very simple concept, but it’s in its simplicity that brilliance resides.
In fact, the “simple idea has been recognized as one of the most important single traffic safety devices in the history of highway transportation,” according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.
Hines wasn’t a one-hit-wonder when it came to changing roadways, though.
According to Wikipedia, removing snow from public roads was one of his bright ideas, too.
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Inducted into the Michigan Transportation Hall of Fame in 1972, Hines lobbied for county road development as a founding member of the League of American Wheelmen. He took home the George S. Bartlett Award for notable contributions to the progression of the highway system in 1935. The Paul Mijksenaar Design for Function Award was added to his list of well-deserved accolades in 2011. Hines was born on January 13, 1870, and died on June 4, 1938.
News Source:Wikipedia, Michigan Department of Transportation
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