Jump to content

Sig Alert: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
GreenC bot (talk | contribs)
Bots
2,547,813 edits
(19 intermediate revisions by 11 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
'''Sig alert''', '''Sig-alert''' or '''Sigalert''' in [[California]], as well as other parts of the [[United States]], means an incident that significantly disrupts [[road traffic]]. The term was originally the name of a pioneering system of automated [[traffic announcement (radio data systems)|radio broadcasts regarding traffic conditions]], introduced in the 1950s and named after its inventor, [[Loyd Sigmon]].
'''Sig alert''', '''Sig-alert''' or '''Sigalert''' in [[California]], as well as other parts of the United States, means an incident that significantly disrupts [[road traffic]]. The term was originally the name of a pioneering system of automated [[traffic announcement (radio data systems)|radio broadcasts regarding traffic conditions]], introduced in the 1950s and named after its inventor, [[Loyd Sigmon]].


A Sigalert is defined by the [[California Highway Patrol]] (CHP) as "any unplanned event that causes the closing of one lane of traffic for 30&nbsp;minutes or more".<ref name="footer">{{cite web |url = http://cad.chp.ca.gov/HTM.Net/sigexp.htm |title=Footer home |access-date=2017-04-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sigalert.com/Faq.asp?lat=37.87913&lon=-122.07842&z=2 |title=Sigalert.com - Frequently Asked Questions |access-date=2017-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415222304/http://www.sigalert.com/Faq.asp?lat=37.87913&lon=-122.07842&z=2 |archive-date=2015-05-15}}
A Sigalert is defined by the [[California Highway Patrol]] (CHP) as "any unplanned event that causes the closing of one lane of traffic for 30&nbsp;minutes or more".<ref name="footer">{{cite web |url = http://cad.chp.ca.gov/HTM.Net/sigexp.htm |title=Footer home |access-date=2017-04-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sigalert.com/Faq.asp?lat=37.87913&lon=-122.07842&z=2 |title=Sigalert.com - Frequently Asked Questions |access-date=2017-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415222304/http://www.sigalert.com/Faq.asp?lat=37.87913&lon=-122.07842&z=2 |archive-date=2015-04-15}}
</ref> [[CalTrans|Caltrans]] uses the term "SigAlert" and defines it as any traffic incident that will tie up two or more lanes of a freeway for two or more hours.<ref name="CalTrans">{{cite web |url = http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/paffairs/faq/faq18.htm| title = Q. What are Sig-Alerts?| work = CalTrans FAQs |access-date=2017-04-19}}</ref> Sig Alerts are issued by the CHP and are posted on their website, broadcast on radio and television stations throughout [[California]], and signaled to motorists via [[Variable message sign|electronic message signs]] on the freeways. The term was added in 1993 to the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary|New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary]]''. In practice, there is no standard spelling; the CHP website uses "SIG Alerts"<ref name="cad" /> and "Sigalert"<ref name="footer" /> while the [[California DOT]] uses "Sig-Alert".<ref name="CalTrans" />
</ref> In practice, the term refers to a notice of such a closure issued by the CHP, and Sigalerts are posted on the CHP website, broadcast on radio and television stations throughout California, and signaled to motorists via [[Variable message sign|electronic message signs]] on the freeways. [[CalTrans|The California Department of Transportation]] (Caltrans) defines it as any traffic incident that will tie up two or more lanes of a freeway for two or more hours.<ref name="CalTrans">{{cite web |url = http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/paffairs/faq/faq18.htm| title = Q. What are Sig-Alerts?| work = CalTrans FAQs |access-date=2017-04-19}}</ref>


The term was added in 1993 to the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary|New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary]]''. In practice, there is no standard spelling; the CHP website uses "SIG Alerts"<ref name="cad" /> and "Sigalert"<ref name="footer" /> while Caltrans uses "Sig-Alert".<ref name="CalTrans" />
==The origin of the Sigmon traffic alerts==
⚫
SigAlerts originated in 1955 with the [[Los Angeles Police Department]] (LAPD). By the early 1950s, the rapidly growing number of [[automobile]]s in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] had greatly increased the frequency and severity of traffic accidents and jams. Radio stations reported traffic conditions, but the LAPD refused to call radio stations with this information, so each station would call the LAPD, a process that tied up [[telephone]] lines and forced officers to repeat the same information again and again.


==Origin==
⚫
In 1955, [[Loyd Sigmon|Loyd C. "Sig" Sigmon]] began developing a solution. Sigmon was executive vice president of [[KTLA#Golden West Broadcasters|Golden West Broadcasters]] (a company owned by singing cowboy [[Gene Autry]]). Sigmon had worked for Golden West's station [[KMPC]] 710 in 1941, but found himself in the [[United States Army]] [[Signal Corps (United States Army)|Signal Corps]] during [[World War II]], assigned to General [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]'s staff, in charge of non-combat radio communications in the European theater. Now, he proposed to apply his knowledge of complex radio networks to the situation in Los Angeles.<ref name=larg>https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Other-Documments/LA-Radio-Guide/LA-Radio-Guide-1995-05-06.pdf</ref>
⚫
SigAlerts originated in 1955 with the [[Los Angeles Police Department]] (LAPD). By the early 1950s, the rapidly growing number of [[automobile]]s in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] had greatly increased the frequency and severity of traffic accidents and jams. Radio stations reported traffic conditions, but the LAPD refused to call radio stations with this information, so each station would call the LAPD. Using the telephone to distribute the information tied up [[telephone]] lines and forced officers to repeat the same information again and again.


⚫
In 1955, [[Loyd Sigmon|Loyd C. "Sig" Sigmon]] began developing a solution. Sigmon was executive vice president of [[KTLA#Golden West Broadcasters|Golden West Broadcasters]] (a company owned by singing cowboy [[Gene Autry]]). Sigmon had worked for Golden West's station [[KMPC]] 710 in 1941 but found himself in the [[United States Army]] [[Signal Corps (United States Army)|Signal Corps]] during [[World War II]], assigned to General [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]'s staff, in charge of non-combat radio communications in the European theater. Now, he proposed to apply his knowledge of complex radio networks to the situation in Los Angeles.<ref name=larg>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Other-Documments/LA-Radio-Guide/LA-Radio-Guide-1995-05-06.pdf|title=L.A.'s Patron Saint of Traffic}}</ref>
⚫
Sigmon developed a specialized radio receiver and reel-to-reel [[tape recorder]]. When the receiver picked up a particular tone, it would record the subsequent bulletin. At the time, the device cost about $600 (equivalent to $5,600 in 2018). The LAPD's chief, [[William H. Parker (police officer)|William H. Parker]], was interested, though skeptical, warning the inventor, "We're going to name this damn thing Sigalert." More practically, he refused to use it unless the receivers were made available to all Los Angeles radio stations—it could not be a KMPC monopoly.


⚫
Sigmon developed a specialized radio receiver and reel-to-reel [[tape recorder]]. When the receiver picked up a particular tone, it would record the subsequent bulletin. At the time, the device cost about $600 (equivalent to $5,600 in 2018). The LAPD's chief, [[William H. Parker (police officer)|William H. Parker]], was interested, though skeptical, warning the inventor, "We're going to name this damn thing Sigalert." More practically, he refused to use it unless the receivers were made available to all Los Angeles radio stations—it could not be a KMPC monopoly.<ref name=larg/>
⚫
Initially, half a dozen stations installed Sigmon receivers that had "Sigalert" stamped on their side. When a message had been received and recorded from the LAPD, a red light, sometimes accompanied by a buzzer, would alert the radio stations' engineers. Depending on the nature of the problem, the engineer could air the police broadcast immediately, interrupting regular programming if necessary.


⚫
Initially, half a dozen stations installed Sigmon receivers that had "Sigalert" stamped on their side. When a message had been received and recorded from the LAPD, a red light, sometimes accompanied by a buzzer, would alert the radio stations' engineers. Depending on the nature of the problem, the engineer could air the police broadcast immediately, interrupting regular programming if necessary.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105579530/arthur-berman-quick-sigalerts-save/|title=Quick Sigalerts Save Lives, Spare Accidents|date=February 25, 1962|first=Arthur|last=Berman|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=July 14, 2022|page=F5|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
==The early use of the Sigalert==
⚫
One of the first major "Sigmon traffic alerts" was broadcast on January 22, 1956, ''causing'' a traffic jam. The alert described the [[Redondo Junction train wreck|derailment of a passenger train]] near Los Angeles' [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]] and requested any available doctors and nurses to respond to the scene. Too many doctors, nurses and sightseers drove there, making the situation worse. The first SigAlert was on [[Labor Day]] weekend in 1955,<ref>{{cite news |last=Purdum |first=Todd S. |date=1997-05-18 |title=How Los Angeles Traffic Snarls Spawned a Word |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/18/us/how-los-angeles-traffic-snarls-spawned-a-word.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2017-04-19}}</ref> and some stories on the SigAlert conflate these two events.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Neil |first=Rob |date=1997-08-16 |title=Sigmon Put L.A. Drivers on the Alert |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1997/aug/16/local/me-23019 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=2017-04-19}}</ref>


==Early use==
⚫
At first, the LAPD issued about one alert a day, but soon other agencies were calling in messages they wanted broadcast, including rabid dog reports, gas leaks and even a ship collision in Los Angeles Harbor. A pharmacist who had made a potentially fatal error in filling a prescription took advantage of the system to warn the customer (who heard the SigAlert in time). It was also used to warn about the impending [[Baldwin Hills Dam disaster|Baldwin Hills Dam collapse]] in 1963.
⚫
One of the first major "Sigmon traffic alerts" was broadcast on January 22, 1956, ''causing'' a traffic jam. The alert described the [[Redondo Junction train wreck|derailment of a passenger train]] near Los Angeles' [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]] and requested any available doctors and nurses to respond to the scene. Too many doctors, nurses and sightseers drove there, making the situation worse. The first SigAlert was on [[Labor Day]] weekend in 1955,<ref>{{cite news |last=Purdum |first=Todd S. |date=1997-05-18 |title=How Los Angeles Traffic Snarls Spawned a Word |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/18/us/how-los-angeles-traffic-snarls-spawned-a-word.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2017-04-19}}</ref> and some stories on the SigAlert conflate these two events.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Neil |first=Rob |date=1997-08-16 |title=Sigmon Put L.A. Drivers on the Alert |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-aug-16-me-23019-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=2017-04-19}}</ref>

⚫
At first, the LAPD issued about one alert a day, but soon other agencies were calling in messages they wanted broadcast, including rabid dog reports, gas leaks and even a ship collision in Los Angeles Harbor.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105577964/radio-pioneer-created-the-sig-alert/|title=Radio Pioneer Created the Sig Alert|date=June 4, 2004|first=Roy|last=Rivenberg|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=July 14, 2022|pages=A1,A18|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> A pharmacist who had made a potentially fatal error in filling a prescription took advantage of the system to warn the customer (who heard the SigAlert in time). It was also used to warn about the impending [[Baldwin Hills Dam disaster|Baldwin Hills Dam collapse]] in 1963.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105578568/steve-carney-he-labored-to-help-us/|title=He Labored to Help Us Out of That Jam|date=September 4, 2000|first=Steve|last=Carney|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=July 14, 2022|page=E2|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>


The term "Sigalert" was also used in Seattle, Washington in the late 1970s and early 1980s.{{cn|date=September 2018}}
The term "Sigalert" was also used in Seattle, Washington in the late 1970s and early 1980s.{{cn|date=September 2018}}


==Since 1969==
==The CHP era and current usage==
In 1969, when the CHP assumed responsibility for [[freeway]] traffic from the LAPD, it took control of the SigAlert system as well. It is now used throughout [[California]] and limited to traffic situations only. Messages are still broadcast, but most radio stations now read the information from the CHP's web service<ref name="cad">{{cite web |url=http://cad.chp.ca.gov/Traffic.aspx |title=CHP Traffic Incident Information Page |access-date=2017-04-19}}</ref> rather than rebroadcasting the police dispatchers' voices.
In 1969, when the CHP assumed responsibility for [[freeway]] traffic from the LAPD, it took control of the SigAlert system as well. It is now used throughout California and limited to traffic situations only. Messages are still broadcast, but most radio stations now read the information from the CHP's web service<ref name="cad">{{cite web |url=http://cad.chp.ca.gov/Traffic.aspx |title=CHP Traffic Incident Information Page |access-date=2017-04-19}}</ref> rather than rebroadcasting the police dispatchers' voices.


[[CalTrans]] also uses the term "Sig-Alert", and it has now come to be commonly defined as any traffic incident that will tie up two or more lanes of a freeway for two or more hours.<ref name="CalTrans" />
[[CalTrans]] also uses the term "Sig-Alert", and it has now come to be commonly defined as any traffic incident that will tie up two or more lanes of a freeway for two or more hours.<ref name="CalTrans" />


{{As of|2007}} not all California radio stations use this term. For example, radio station [[KABC (AM)|KABC]] uses the term "KABC Traffic Alert", while radio stations [[KNX (AM)|KNX]], [[KFI-AM]], [[KRLA]], [[KQED]], and [[KCRW]] use the original term.{{cn|date=January 2017}}
{{As of|2007}} not all California radio stations use this term. For example, radio station [[KABC (AM)|KABC]] uses the term "KABC Traffic Alert", while radio stations [[KNX (AM)|KNX]], [[KFI-AM]], [[KRLA]], [[KQED-FM|KQED]], and [[KCRW]] use the original term.{{cn|date=January 2017}}


== See also ==
== See also ==
Line 36: Line 38:
* [http://cad.chp.ca.gov/ Current SigAlerts] from the [[California Highway Patrol]]
* [http://cad.chp.ca.gov/ Current SigAlerts] from the [[California Highway Patrol]]
* [http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/sigalert.asp Snopes Urban Legends' Sigalert article]
* [http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/sigalert.asp Snopes Urban Legends' Sigalert article]
* [http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/paffairs/faq/faq18.htm SigAlert Definition] from the [[California DOT]]
* [http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/paffairs/faq/faq18.htm SigAlert Definition] from [[Caltrans]]
* [http://harrymarnell.net/sigalert.htm SigAlert!]
* [http://harrymarnell.net/sigalert.htm SigAlert!]
{{LAPD}}
{{LAPD}}

Revision as of 06:24, 14 August 2024

Sig alert, Sig-alert or Sigalert in California, as well as other parts of the United States, means an incident that significantly disrupts road traffic. The term was originally the name of a pioneering system of automated radio broadcasts regarding traffic conditions, introduced in the 1950s and named after its inventor, Loyd Sigmon.

A Sigalert is defined by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) as "any unplanned event that causes the closing of one lane of traffic for 30 minutes or more".[1][2] In practice, the term refers to a notice of such a closure issued by the CHP, and Sigalerts are posted on the CHP website, broadcast on radio and television stations throughout California, and signaled to motorists via electronic message signs on the freeways. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) defines it as any traffic incident that will tie up two or more lanes of a freeway for two or more hours.[3]

The term was added in 1993 to the New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. In practice, there is no standard spelling; the CHP website uses "SIG Alerts"[4] and "Sigalert"[1] while Caltrans uses "Sig-Alert".[3]

Origin

SigAlerts originated in 1955 with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). By the early 1950s, the rapidly growing number of automobiles in Los Angeles had greatly increased the frequency and severity of traffic accidents and jams. Radio stations reported traffic conditions, but the LAPD refused to call radio stations with this information, so each station would call the LAPD. Using the telephone to distribute the information tied up telephone lines and forced officers to repeat the same information again and again.

In 1955, Loyd C. "Sig" Sigmon began developing a solution. Sigmon was executive vice president of Golden West Broadcasters (a company owned by singing cowboy Gene Autry). Sigmon had worked for Golden West's station KMPC 710 in 1941 but found himself in the United States Army Signal Corps during World War II, assigned to General Dwight D. Eisenhower's staff, in charge of non-combat radio communications in the European theater. Now, he proposed to apply his knowledge of complex radio networks to the situation in Los Angeles.[5]

Sigmon developed a specialized radio receiver and reel-to-reel tape recorder. When the receiver picked up a particular tone, it would record the subsequent bulletin. At the time, the device cost about $600 (equivalent to $5,600 in 2018). The LAPD's chief, William H. Parker, was interested, though skeptical, warning the inventor, "We're going to name this damn thing Sigalert." More practically, he refused to use it unless the receivers were made available to all Los Angeles radio stations—it could not be a KMPC monopoly.[5]

Initially, half a dozen stations installed Sigmon receivers that had "Sigalert" stamped on their side. When a message had been received and recorded from the LAPD, a red light, sometimes accompanied by a buzzer, would alert the radio stations' engineers. Depending on the nature of the problem, the engineer could air the police broadcast immediately, interrupting regular programming if necessary.[6]

Early use

One of the first major "Sigmon traffic alerts" was broadcast on January 22, 1956, causing a traffic jam. The alert described the derailment of a passenger train near Los Angeles' Union Station and requested any available doctors and nurses to respond to the scene. Too many doctors, nurses and sightseers drove there, making the situation worse. The first SigAlert was on Labor Day weekend in 1955,[7] and some stories on the SigAlert conflate these two events.[8]

At first, the LAPD issued about one alert a day, but soon other agencies were calling in messages they wanted broadcast, including rabid dog reports, gas leaks and even a ship collision in Los Angeles Harbor.[9] A pharmacist who had made a potentially fatal error in filling a prescription took advantage of the system to warn the customer (who heard the SigAlert in time). It was also used to warn about the impending Baldwin Hills Dam collapse in 1963.[10]

The term "Sigalert" was also used in Seattle, Washington in the late 1970s and early 1980s.[citation needed]

Since 1969

In 1969, when the CHP assumed responsibility for freeway traffic from the LAPD, it took control of the SigAlert system as well. It is now used throughout California and limited to traffic situations only. Messages are still broadcast, but most radio stations now read the information from the CHP's web service[4] rather than rebroadcasting the police dispatchers' voices.

CalTrans also uses the term "Sig-Alert", and it has now come to be commonly defined as any traffic incident that will tie up two or more lanes of a freeway for two or more hours.[3]

As of 2007 not all California radio stations use this term. For example, radio station KABC uses the term "KABC Traffic Alert", while radio stations KNX, KFI-AM, KRLA, KQED, and KCRW use the original term.[citation needed]

See also

  • SIGMET—an aviation weather advisory

References

  1. ^ "Sigalert.com - Frequently Asked Questions". Archived from the original on 2015-04-15. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  2. ^ a b c "Q. What are Sig-Alerts?". CalTrans FAQs. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  3. ^ a b "CHP Traffic Incident Information Page". Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  4. ^ a b "L.A.'s Patron Saint of Traffic" (PDF).
  5. ^ Berman, Arthur (February 25, 1962). "Quick Sigalerts Save Lives, Spare Accidents". Los Angeles Times. p. F5. Retrieved July 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Purdum, Todd S. (1997-05-18). "How Los Angeles Traffic Snarls Spawned a Word". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  7. ^ O'Neil, Rob (1997-08-16). "Sigmon Put L.A. Drivers on the Alert". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  8. ^ Rivenberg, Roy (June 4, 2004). "Radio Pioneer Created the Sig Alert". Los Angeles Times. pp. A1, A18. Retrieved July 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Carney, Steve (September 4, 2000). "He Labored to Help Us Out of That Jam". Los Angeles Times. p. E2. Retrieved July 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Sig_Alert&oldid=1240226438"