A SET of antiquated traffic lights at Ipoh’s DR Seenivasagam Recreational Park may have significant historical value and warrants proper preservation, according to the Perak Heritage Society.
Society president Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Tahir said the single pole with four sets of signal lights in different directions could date back to 1937 and might have been the first in Ipoh, and possibly Malaya.
“We believe that several traffic lights were installed at the intersections of Jalan Tambun, Hugh Low Street (now Jalan Sultan Iskandar), Jalan Gopeng and Brewster Road (Jalan Sultan Idris Shah) back then.
“The one now standing at the recreational park could be one of those,” he said.
Information on the cast-iron traffic light pole showed that it was manufactured by Siemens and General Electric Railway Signal Company Ltd in England.
It also has patent numbers and the wording “other patents pending”, while stating that it was a road signal controller.
“The increasing usage of electricity in Ipoh during the 1920s, coupled with the growing number of motor vehicles, could have contributed to the introduction of traffic signals, although this too required verification.
“If we really want to establish its history, we need to check its registration or manufacturing records and contact sources in England as well as the authorities here,” he said.
Mohd Tajuddin said the pole currently had visible rust and several components appeared to be damaged.
“The relevant authorities should carry out proper maintenance and conservation work if its historical significance is confirmed.
“They should clean it, remove the rust, repaint it and repair the damaged parts as a way of preserving it,” he said.
“There are references describing it as among the earliest, and possibly the first, traffic signal system in Malaya at the time.
“However, I think we should be careful about stating this as a fact until the relevant archival and historical records have been properly verified,” said Ng.
“Importantly, we also need to establish whether the structure currently at the recreational park is indeed the original unit installed in 1937 or equipment from the same era,” she stressed.
She said if the traffic light pole’s heritage value could be established, then appropriate conservation and restoration options could be considered.
“For me, preservation should not simply be about keeping an old object,” Ng said.
“It is about understanding what the object represents, documenting its story properly, and then deciding how best to enable future generations to appreciate it,” she added.
