How a Milk Leak Changed Michigan (and World) Traffic Forever: 1911

There once was a man from Michigan who basically changed our entire country. I mean, seriously, he really did. His name was Edward N. Hines (1870-1938), who became one of America’s most influential innovators and was a member of the Wayne County Road Commission for the years 1906-1938.

Without him, our nation's roads and traffic might not be as organized as they are today.

How so, you may ask?

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Among his accomplishments:
1) In 1890, he put together an organization to develop county roads.
2) In 1909, he saw to the construction of the first mile of road pavement made of concrete (between 6 & 7 Mile Roads as part of Woodward Avenue in Detroit).
3) In 1911 he came up with the idea of a line down the middle of the road to separate two-way traffic. He got this idea while watching a horse-drawn milk wagon leaking a line of milk down the street. An idea as simple as this has become one of the most important (if not THE most important) ideas in American and international road travel.
4) The removal of heavy snow from public roads and streets.
5) In 1916 Hines was among the people that formed the Detroit Automobile Club. Have you ever heard of this guy? His ideas and involvement with other Michiganians influenced the way THE WHOLE WORLD traveled by automobile.

Personally, I am most impressed by the simplicity of how the lines down the middle of roads were conceived – something so random that ended up being the seed that grew into what could be the single most important thing about auto travel, even more so than stop signs or traffic lights.