# Green light on top **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 4, 2000, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-light-on-top/35551 "2000-10-04T00:21:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![insider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@insider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insider)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-light-on-top/35551/1 "2000-10-04T00:21:02Z")
I am aware that a stop light in Syracuse New York, located in a primarily Irish section of the city, has the green light on top and the red on the bottom. Is this the only light in the US that constructed in such a way? Thanks for any information. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-light-on-top/35551/2 "2000-10-04T00:47:09Z")
There’s a few like that, mostly (like in Syracuse) in heavily Irish areas. If you’d like, I can find out some other examples of where? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-light-on-top/35551/3 "2000-10-04T01:41:25Z")
\<\\>. ``` Okay,having said that? Who the FUCK would be stupid enough to re-arrange a safety light???? ONE person with serious color deficiency could mis-read the pattern, and blow a red light. Is it worth it? I'd say no damned way. It's an assumed standard in the United States, and I'm blown way to hear that ANY community would deviate from that standard. Cartooniverse ``` ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-light-on-top/35551/4 "2000-10-04T01:44:40Z")
I’ve wondered that myself, and debated it in US History class, but the fact remains they’ve done it. ---
**Author:** ![desdemona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@desdemona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/desdemona)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-light-on-top/35551/5 "2000-10-04T02:20:58Z")
We talk about red on top… I lived briefly in Texas and the lights there are HORIZONTAL rather than vertical. Not only does it confuse the color issue, but when the sunvisor is down, you can’t see the lights at all. You would think there would be a vertical “standard.” ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-light-on-top/35551/6 "2000-10-04T03:25:36Z")
Not all of them are horizontal. It’s about 50/50. And there are usually two red lights, so the color blind can tell. Also red is always on the left, which, while not as easy to remember as the top, is still consistent. I’ll give you the sun visor thing though. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-light-on-top/35551/7 "2000-10-04T03:37:29Z")
At an intersection with no street lights or where the traffic lights are not illuminated by street lights, whether the light is on top or bottom will not be apparent at night, especially from a distance. So you have to be able to tell whether it’s green or red. That being the case, many green lights actually have a fair amount of blue in their light so that people with red-green colorblindness can distinguish them. Not all do, though. I’ve notice many intersections with two sets of lights pointed each way where one green light will be green and the other bluish green.