Taylor, Seymour Stillman
Seymour Stillman Taylor (May 6, 1914 - March 7, 1977), often known as S.S., 'Signal Sam,' or simply 'Sam' Taylor, was the Los Angeles City Traffic Engineer within the Department of Traffic Engineering from 1958 to 1977. Taylor was born near Salt Lake City in Utah. He was tasked with traffic control measures in a period when the number of cars on L.A.'s streets increased significantly. Taking on the difficult role of managing traffic in such a sprawling metropolis, Taylor oversaw tens of thousands of traffic signals, stop signs, crosswalks, and other traffic control measures. He was an early advocate of a centralized electronic signal system for controlling traffic and adopted similar innovative measures to try to reduce congestion. At the same time, he was known for his stubbornness and frequently clashed with colleagues and elected officials, including L.A. mayors (one point of contention was that Taylor was deeply skeptical of various mass transit measures and high-occupancy vehicle lanes). He was widely regarded a leading expert in traffic control and was consulted by other American cities as well as those in foreign countries. Following Taylor's death in 1977, a new citywide Department of Transportation was created to integrate traffic control with other transportation-related tasks.
Visualizing L.A.'s Horrendous Traffic.
An intriguing infographic map of Los Angeles traffic flows prepared in 1970 by City Traffic Engineer S. S. Taylor. It introduces a novel technique to illustrate traffic density and demonstrates the difficulty of managing the immense number of vehicles transiting the city daily. (more details)
L.A.'s Ghost Freeways.
An unusual 1971 infographic map of Los Angeles demonstrating expected daily traffic volume in 1990 prepared by City Traffic Engineer Samuel Taylor. It is notable for including the never-built Laurel Canyon, Beverly Hills, Slauson, and Industrial Freeways. (more details)