Walkway plaque marks first traffic pedestrian signal.

Plaque: First Walk Signal

Traffic engineer Henry Barnes watched people barely avoid getting hit by cars while crossing this busy section of the "Wall Street of the Rockies." So in 1952 he installed here the first traffic signal with a pedestrian "Walk" sign. Pedestrians' herky-jerky attempt to conform to the unfamiliar crossing pattern was dubbed, "The Barnes Dance."

The Barnes Dance plaque.

A circular bronze "Barnes Dance" plaque embedded in the sidewalk now marks the spot. It includes a quote from Barnes, who wisecracked that the Walk sign would give pedestrians "a 30 to 70 percent chance of getting across the street alive."

Plaque: First Walk Signal

Address:: 818 17th St., Denver, CO
Directions:: Midtown, on the southwest corner of 17th and Stout Sts. A small, round metal plaque set into the sidewalk.

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