The curious story of the world’s oldest and still standing traffic sign Anthony Lopes Follow Jan 17 · 4 min read

World oldest street sign in Salvador street, Lisbon, Portugal

In Salvador street, right at the foot of Portas do Sol in Alfama, there is an inscription on a wall that often goes unnoticed to most people passing by, but it’s of great historical importance. The marble plaque is the oldest, still standing traffic signal from Lisbon and the world.

In 1668, Lisbon was the vibrant capital of one of the most important kingdoms on the planet — Portugal. Attracted to the riches and wonders of the goods arriving from all over the Portuguese empire, the city was a magnet to foreign nobles and merchants alike, who had to share the narrow, still medieval streets with the inhabitants of the city. In 1668, Lisbon was still a century way from the great earthquake of 1755, followed by a firestorm and tsunami, that wiped out a large part of the city.

Nowadays, Salvador street is a still a small pedestrian passageway that connects Escolas Gerais street to São Tomé street, but in the 17th century, when honor was often upheld with blood, traffic disputes could become a serious issue in such a narrow passageway such as Salvador Street.

Salvador Street nowadays.

In the 17th century Salvador street was part of the route that connected Lisbon’s castle to the riverside area of the city and was one of the busiest streets in the city. Additionally, it was used by those who had chores at the royal court.

Now, imagine two litters or coaches coming from different directions — No one felt obliged to give way. For example, a count considered himself superior to a baron, a merchant considered himself superior as he was richer than the other merchant, etc. As a consequence of this, among the coachmen and servants who carried the lords, heated discussions that often ended in a generalized beating spree, were a common affair in this street.

Becoming aware of the situation and in order to prevent further conflicts, the then King Pedro II issued the first traffic sign ever in Lisbon. There are records of older traffic signs in other countries, but according to the research I’ve done, this is the oldest still standing.

The marble plaque placed on a wall to the right of the people going up the street says:

A closeup of the traffic sign from 1686 in Salvador street

“ANNO DE 1686 / SUA MAJESTADE ORDENA / QUE OS COCHES, SEGES / E LITEIRAS QUE / VIEREM DA PORTARIA / DO SALVADOR RECUEM / PARA A MESMA PARTE”

Which translates approximately to:

“YEAR OF 1686 / HIS MAJESTY COMMANDS / THAT COACHES, SEGES, AND LITTERS THAT / ARE COMING FROM THE GATEWAY OF SALVADOR STREET / TO RETURN TO THE SAME WAY”

As you can see, it’s essentially the world’s oldest yield passage sign!

This was not the only case in Lisbon. The hustle and bustle of the city was so intense and the traffic problems were so widespread that Pedro II placed a total of 24 traffic signs in Lisbon, namely in São Tomé street, Largo de Santa Luzia or the Calçada de Santa Luzia, none of them survived to this day.

The traffic problem should have been a really serious issue during 17th century Lisbon, since the monarch did not limit himself to traffic signal placement. He went even further by issuing the equivalent of today’s road rules or highway code, featuring some penalties which weren’t for the faint of the heart.

If today we complain about traffic fines, imagine during the second half of the 17th century, when coachmen and servants were expressly prohibited from using daggers, sticks or any other weapons that could be used in a traffic dispute. Those who disobeyed the royal order would pay the exorbitant fine of 2,000 cruzados and ran the risk of being exiled to Pernambuco, Baía or Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

In conclusion: don’t complain too much about your present traffic woes. Just imagine being deported to the other side of the world for not respecting a yield sign!