The Reflective Road Stud / Catseye Inventor Who Stole The Idea!

#catseye #halifax #road
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It's commonly believed that Percy Shaw was the man who came up with the cats eye or reflective road stud. In some ways, he did, in other ways, he did not. History seems to have skipped a few key points that reveal Percy Shaw may not have come up with the idea at all.
I'll be looking into the origins of this common road safety device and discovering who really came up with the idea...

[@steve.b.23]

"The man who invented cats' eyes got the idea when he saw the eyes of a cat in his headlights. If the cat had been going the other way, he would have invented the pencil sharpener." - the late, great Ken Dodd

[@Colin_Pole]

Or a tea towel holder

[@CanadairCL44]

Or a cocktail sausage roll!

[@tardismole]

LOL.

[@bryngerard4334]

You beat me to it 🤣

[@Assimilator1]

🤣

[@nowster]

According to Ken Dodd the guy going the other way invented the pencil sharpener.

[@sullacicero2610]

Just got back from a long commute, took me a while to get that one. The tail could be utilised to brush away the shavings.

[@barryrathbone]

Yes I was at a show ( a very long show!) where Ken Dodd said that!

[@nowster]

@@barryrathbone Sadly, I went to one of the very rare shows where Ken actually finished on time.

[@barryrathbone]

@@nowster he must have been under great threat from the venue if he went over his time! Brilliant performer sadly missed

[@spinosauruswearingboots4156]

I heard it was the tea towel holder 🙂

[@johnwinters4201]

The crucial bit of Shaw's design which made it a commercial success is the self-cleaning feature. The idea of reflectors wasn't new but what he did was design something which remained useful for many years after installation. For that he deserves the credit.

[@polbecca]

This probably also contributed to the necessary "inventive step" from an earlier invention , on which a successful patent application relies.

[@AutoShenanigans]

To be fair yes, he did put together the "whole package" but if it wasnt for WW2, I reckon it would have been a failure.

[@Dwagginz]

Growing up in that area I can confirm it's very much a point of pride and "local knowledge". Based on the evidence provided in the video, I think Shaw is still worthy of some credit because he did - as you say - construct a practical, commercial version with specific uses in mind. I don't think that's too far from how a lot of inventions and developments work, so some credit is still due.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

Indeed, there's nothing totally new under the sun, so "invention" is really just taking an idea or principle that already exists and turning it into a practical and successful product. My wife's grandfather, Harry Bradwell, "invented" the toffee wrapping machine in conjunction Mackintosh's, though in fact he simply refined the existing idea sufficiently to be granted a patent and made the first machine capable of coping with mass production.

[@grahamfisher5436]

really KZbin Wickersley world Percy Shaw . Facts are great 👍

[@alfiestewart6312]

It's like how Joseph Swan created the lightbulb but Thomas Edison is the one known for it - at least anywhere but Newcastle.

[@aldursys]

Sunderland. They talk about nothing else there.

[@the_bloke_that_cuts_the_grass]

Another brilliant invention that has, I’m sure, saved many lives over the years. Very much like custard creams when you got home from school and no one was in.

[@abudhabidel1]

It was ginger nuts for me.

[@the_bloke_that_cuts_the_grass]

@@abudhabidel1 gotta love a ginger nut-Megan does 😂

[@AutoShenanigans]

More of a Bourbon fan myself.

[@the_bloke_that_cuts_the_grass]

@@AutoShenanigans trouble was, my Dad always hid the Bourbon 🥃😂

[@andyrbush]

There is a massive and hard to cross chasm between having an idea and building a business out of it.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thats true.

[@grahamariss2111]

In 70s I recall a program on BBC that included an interview with Shaw and he did refer to other designs being around at the time of invention but that they were fixed to the surface thus prone to damage (no hope against a snow plough) unlike his cats eye that sunk into the road and were self cleaning.

[@zen4men]

Very good point. Shaw's Unique Selling Proposition!

[@DJ-Daz]

True story. I used to work for a company called Fielden Engineers in Sowerby Bridge (1987), we built a machine on a rigid wagon that fitted cats eyes in 2 minutes, previously it was all manual labour and took up to 30 minutes to cut and fit the cats eyes. The machine was bespoke. A one off. When it was completed, the driver set off from Sowerby Bridge, back to Halifax and up Boothtown road where the Road Stud Cutting Company was located. Half way up Boothtown road, the engine of the wagon... dismantled itself in an angry fashion. Remember playing marbles as kids? A good cats eye was always coveted and worth 10-20 marbles. BTW from Northbridge to Queensbury is all uphill and varies between 15%-20% gradient, and 5 miles long. A bloody damned hard slog on a bike. A wagon pulling 20 tonnes of steel? No wonder it gave up.

[@andrewbell1105]

Fielden engineering, brick & block clamps for Marshalls. Made some money repairing them back in the day after the forklift drivers had run into each other. Always the night shift 😂

[@DJ-Daz]

@@andrewbell1105 I worked in the stores, so it was probably me sending out the rubber or the spare rotators.

[@stepheneyles2198]

We used to try picking the cats eyes out of their rubber housing when we were young - much less traffic on the roads in those days! Of course there was nothing like 'Elfin Safety' in those days to tell us otherwise!

[@mitchellperry3462]

This is very impressive

[@AutoShenanigans]

great to hear some "inside info" :D

[@dawnastral7571]

Erickson's 1926 patent was not for the invention. It was for a Design patent, which means it covered the appearance design rather than the technical features of an invention. Murray's 1928 patent was an invention patent.

[@jasonbennett7002]

On a visit to the UK last year I was very excited to see original housings on the old bit of road that we walk up to Stonehenge from the visitor centre. I had no idea I'd see something of such historical importance that day. :)

[@stepheneyles2198]

love the sarcasm in this comment!!

[@AutoShenanigans]

Good work, whilst others were distracted by "just some old rocks" you were finding the real history.

[@jasonbennett7002]

@@AutoShenanigans I truly was very excited. The American I'd been walking with thought I was quite mad when I started going on about Shaw's cats eyes.

[@AliceConsortium]

The company in Halifax that makes cats eyes is still there, and named Reflecting Roadstuds Ltd - so even they use the generic term

[@AutoShenanigans]

Yes I believe they are, amazing they're still in business.

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

Ironically Percy Shaw's trademarking of the name of his band "The Boothtown Cats" was cleverly circumvented by an Irishman several years later, and that guy got a Knighthood never mind an OBE.

[@tonys1636]

Honorary Knighthood as Bob Geldof is an Irish citizen.

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

@@tonys1636 Like Sir Terry Wogan ?

[@willemslie]

@@johnmoruzzi7236 Sir Terry had duel nationality, unlike Bob, who would have to swear allegiance to the king before becoming officially Sir. That is unlikely to happen.

[@tonys1636]

@@johnmoruzzi7236 He had dual Nationality but was still just plain Terry when he popped back home. The best honour he has is the old Broadcasting House now Wogan House since New Broadcasting House opened.

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

@@willemslie Sir Terry specifically TOOK British Citizenship so that he could become Sir Terry....

[@mrbigbadtrev]

I visited the factory when it was still operating. I was given a brand new casting and they inserted a new rubber and one each of the four colours they used red, green, amber and white along with lumps of rubber from raw state to ready to mould and still have all this.

[@TheCeebmoj]

There is something very relaxing / satisfying about all your content. Thank you.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks for watching

[@michaelrck]

I recall in the mid-1970s, Percy Shaw was the subject of a news item on "Nationwide". The feature in which they interviewed Percy and they confirmed in the piece that his inspiration came from his car headlights reflecting off a cat's eyes at night.

[@AutoShenanigans]

yeah fair, not sure about that tramlines nonsense though.

[@grahamariss2111]

I think this what I recall and I recall him referring to other designs being fixed to the road surface.

[@moodyb2]

​@@AutoShenanigansWhy is it nonsense? It's perfectly plausible that his headlights reflected off the tramlines and allowed him to stay on the road on foggy nights, by following their path.

[@SidBonkers51]

@@AutoShenanigans I thought it came from the war and the blackout when no visible lights were allowed and his bike had a light that shone down which illuminated the tram lines. I believe I saw that on a tv program many years ago.

[@grahamfisher5436]

KZbin - WICKERS WORLD PERCY SHAW there ya go

[@ricbrook7059]

As a school kid who went to a school in boothtown we used to go up to the factory and nick cats eyes. We also used to go to Rowntree Mac's and nick misshapen chocolates out of their skips. The bosses used to come to our school and tell us the chocolate in the skips were going to feed pigs so not fit for human consumption but that was utter bollocks as none of us ever got ill! There was also a massive trade in Choc Dips but that was a fair old trek and usually done during PE Oh the good ole 80's.....

[@AutoShenanigans]

That sounds like an ideal childhood to me.

[@EdgyNumber1]

Goldie (yes DnB artist) had a friend who was killed by a cats eye. Travelling some way behind a lorry at 60mph, the steel frame kicked up fdom the wheel over the spot it was fitted and by the time her car travelled the distance, the frame smashed through her windscreen and killed her. Questions were asked in parliament as to whether they were still a suitable piece of equipment on modern roads. As a result, it seem like most authorities have replaced the majority of them with the more lightweight plastic reflective studs.

[@redboyjan]

Do they ever nail anything first time here haha?

[@AutoShenanigans]

Not ideal that. I think its fair to say in "modern times" LED/plastic would be far more suitable, but with those massive lump of cast iron solidified into the road, it's too much hassle/cost to remove them. It seems lorries will do that for nothing.

[@Jonny_The_Organism]

Hail the low flying Stimpsonites... surface mounted Halifax fitting replacements... ...and as a smoker of many years, I found a niche... up cycling the cast iron Halifax fittings into Ashtrays that stay solidly upright if one smokes and moves around a lot whilst in bed...perfect disaster waiting to happen but hey...I'm not doing permanent impersonations of toast.

[@redboyjan]

@@Jonny_The_Organism we should have hovering ashtrays by now

[@Jonny_The_Organism]

@@redboyjan lol...yeah...how times sometimes change

[@danielmarshall4587]

Folk steel stuff all the time, as a resident of "Happyfax" I can with all accuracy tell you we're a RUM LOT. Anyhow yet another smashing vid, cheers.

[@AutoShenanigans]

I like Happyfax.

[@noelanderson703]

My father made the first casting for PercyShaw, we had one at home used as an ash tray.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Store a lot of "ash" in one of those.

[@alandawson3345]

We used to have some solar powered self illuminating cats eyes on the A590 near Greenodd here in Cumbria on a set of dangerous bends. Unfortunately the local boy racers used to challenge each other as to who could navigate the bends fastest with their lights off! As expected this ended with a fatality, and after the investigation they were turned off and later replaced with normal cats eyes. So much for good intentions towards road safety.

[@mrglide7078]

There's a short stretch of M6 between J2 and J1 in Warwickshire with the 'led' versions.

[@NorthernMonkeeUK]

@@mrglide7078 There's some on the A47 too - really annoying things as they distract you with their flickering when you catch a glimpse of them out of your side window.

[@mittfh]

There used to be some "Intelligent Road Studs" on the A449 around the Ombersley area - but IIRC, they were individual studs, just masticed into the road, so were allegedly rather easy to remove (without Highways consent...) - so were eventually replaced with ordinary ones. There are designs circulating for hardwired studs, which would presumably be able to 'communicate' with each other, plus designs which emit a soft blue light in low temperatures to warn drivers of the possibility of black ice, but I don't know if either have been deployed anywhere.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Ah thats a shame but probably the right move from the sounds of it.

[@retrorevolution6534]

Great work as always John 👍 Have you noticed a huge decline in the quality and quantity of cats eyes on our roads over the last 20+ years? I remember being amazed at how the roads used to light up at night as a kid being driven about by my parents in the 90s but these days I swear there are entire A roads with either no cats eyes at all, old worn out ones that do nothing, the odd section here and there thats had them replaced followed by miles and miles without or all of the above? Even a lot of motorways just don't seem to have them anymore and when I do see them it's always just the new "road stud" style ones. I do know a few A and B roads round here that have the old proper metal ones but the rubber bits are knackered so they do nothing anyway! It just seems like they dont give a shit about cats eyes anymore which is a shame really

[@andrewhotston983]

Yes, driving at night is now a hazardous and tiring business.

[@polbecca]

Are the thermoplastic road markings themselves not more reflective than the good old white paint of yesteryear?

[@AutoShenanigans]

Yep, they're rubbish for the most part. Hopefully one day they're all LEDs.

[@mrlister2000]

John, you've been to Switch Island in Merseyside so you will have noticed the illuminated "cats eyes" when the traffic lights change to green, to guide drivers around the maze of lanes there. They still manage to crash there on a daily basis though.

[@AutoShenanigans]

I had no idea about these until recently. I'll look into them!

[@2728Alexis]

A kid at our school managed to steal every pair of retro reflectors from the catseyes in the local area. Used to turn up every morning with a pocket full of the previous evening's haul.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Did he also have a collection of badges and signs removed from cars ? :D Might have been me actually.

[@Hornedbear]

Incredibly informative and useful stuff John. Nice work!

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks mate

[@pluxauag7555]

No Cats Eyes theme Music (ITV 80's TV Show)....an opportunity missed, but superb video yet again!

[@AutoShenanigans]

Hadnt heard of it!

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Another great and informative Video Jon.

[@richardbrown1189]

In his Alan Whicker programme, Percy Shaw himself said that he didn't invent the idea of the reflectors but got them from an existing road sign. Even from this video it's clear that he did invent the self-cleaning rubber housing which was essential to the functioning of the cats eye. The earlier designs would simply have become caked in dust and mud and been useless within days. So, just coming up with a concept for an invention is one thing. Coming up with a version of it which actually works and can be made into a commercial product is quite another. Percy Shaw definitely deserves the credit for doing the latter.

[@AutoShenanigans]

He did alright to be fair.

[@isaacplaysbass8568]

You Cool Cat XD I'm particularly about the new replacement for the "Shaw" cats eye, which is a plastic road stud with contemporary retro-reflectors. The problem is that whilst they are brighter than the traditional cats eye, they're merely glued down, and easily get broken off from the road surface. This means that there are whole stretches of road that no-longer have any cats eyes remaining, particularly on bends, (where they're most valuable) because they've all been broken off by vehicles driving over them. This makes it worse than the original, because the original may be duller, but at least they don't get "lost". The new illuminated LED ones look cool, especially at night, there's a stretch of them installed on some of the bends of the A38 in Cornwall between Parkway Timber Co Ltd, Bodmin and Glynn View Bodmin.

[@AutoShenanigans]

I love the LED ones but it seems theyre unreliable and as are glued down resulting in the issues you mention.

[@colinmccormack1728]

I am sure there was a documentary about Percy Shaw on the telly years ago. Shaw made a ton of money and lived in a huge grim old mansion where he drank crates of beer with all his cronies. Apparently the self-cleaning is the key feature because without it catseyes become useless very quickly.

[@UnbelievableEricthegiraffe]

I saw that as programme also, Crates of Beer Only Locally Brewed Bitter, And big boxes of Crisps , I'm certain they were Seabrooks from not far away in Bradford A local man with local and simple tastes. I remember the beer crates were by his chair So he gave the beer & Crisps out Therefore reminding his friends Who was in charge

[@AutoShenanigans]

Yes I'd read Shaw didn't decorate the house deliberately.

[@dodgydruid]

I lived a couple doors up from the chap who invented the dim dip beam thing, down in Bodmin this was and what a really nice bloke to talk to as well who changed the motoring world with his little invention.

[@zen4men]

Cornwall was full of inventors and engineers. My family's bank financed quite a lot of them, when Cornwall was the mining epicentre of Europe.

[@grabtharshammer]

Bit of a strange one, until the Alan Whicker TV prog in the 60's there was only one story. The one about him travelling on the A647 from Clayton Heights to his home in Boothtown and seeing the cat (hence the name Catseyes). Whilst the A647 no longer runs out of Bradford to Halifax, it is very likely the the old Queensbury Road may well have been the A647 before it was de-classified and before the new roads were built. It also runs over the top of the moors which is the story I was taught in school. Fog or low cloud is very common on the Tops. The reason I doubt very much the later story about Tram Lines, is that the Trams never ran out to Boothtown, the Trams did join up with the Bradford Trams, but that was to the South East on the Halifax Road/Bradford Road which most likely would have been the old A6036. They never ran across the tops of the Moors as they couldn't handle the inclines. Furthermore, when he did Patent his invention (No.s 436,290, 457 & 536) in 1934, they WERE all based on the 1927 Reflecting Lens patent of Richard Hollins Murray. He invented the Catseye, he never claimed to have invented the Reflecting Lens which was just part of it. Just as the man who patented the electric Light Bulb, never claimed to have invented Electricity

[@grahamfisher5436]

he explains everything clearly in the Wickers world Percy Shaw interview ol rosies !

[@Korschtal]

I remember when I moved to Germany from the UK, realising that they don't use retro reflectors. I don't know why not.

[@Voltaic_Fire]

Aye, they're maintenance free, cheap to make, and exclusively helpful so they really should be in use everywhere.

[@SciFiFemale]

I had a German friend in my car and he exclaimed about the lights in the middle of the road. We explained what they were.

[@vibingwithvinyl]

We don't use them in Finland, main reason being winter.

[@Anmeteor9663]

Because the Germans can drive? Also they couldn't afford to pay all the trolls who live under the road and turn the lights on as you approach and off again once you pass. That's what my parents told me in the 1960s anyway. 😮

[@jimmydesouza4375]

@@SciFiFemale I have driven with cat's eyes my whole life and still when I drove on to a road that was relatively new and saw how bright new, clean ones are I thought there were actual lights under the road. I can't imagine what it'd be like if you'd never seen a cat's eye at all.

[@timdench2583]

Very informative and super funny as well. Wicked, sweet, awesome!😊

[@AutoShenanigans]

Cheers mate

[@moodyb2]

I grew up in Holmfield, and you could climb up the hillside from Shay Lane and onto Boothtown Road, between Boothtown itself and Queensbury, the same road Percy drove along. It was a Hell of a climb, almost vertical, but there was a quarry in the hillside, where we found, dumped, hundreds of thousands, or more likely millions of catseyes. Being kids in the 60s, we found these were perfect missiles when launched from a catapult and we now had an inexhaustible supply. 😝

[@cvsdigital]

Well was it hundreds? was it thousands? ....or was it millions? ...or as my Mother would say 'if I've told you a million times - stop exaggerating!' 😊

[@Aengus42]

As a kid I'd hassle my Dad "Dad! Can we clean the cat's eyes? Pulleeeeeze?" so he'd shove the wheels of our big, black Rover 75 out onto the middle of the road for the "Bom-bom ... Bom-bom" sound as we went over them. When we got the Mk.1 Cortina it didn't sound half as good ☹️ The half silvered marbles aren't round but were still highly coveted & really rare to find them!

[@AutoShenanigans]

Rover 75... cool. Never thought i'd say that.

[@GazMoby]

Very enjoyable as usual 👍

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks mate

[@petersullivan3012]

I thought of literally scores of things over the years which I thought would be a good idea, only for something similar to appear sometimes decades later. But just because I had the idea, doesn't mean I invented them! An invention is more than just an idea.

[@Kenny_P_abz]

Stolen is a strong word and is only relevant in this case if Shaw had seen the other design and proceeded to “invent” his anyway. It’s perfectly feasible for people to come up with the same or similar idea independently, even more so in the world of 90 years ago.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Ah yeah very true.

[@stufinnis]

I was thinking the same thing. If someone invents something on Monday but doesn't tell anyone, and then someone else invents the same thing on Tuesday and tells the world, who is the inventor? Both I suppose, but only one will get the credit!

[@minibus9]

awesome video, love this sort of stuff

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks mate

[@stanley3647]

It was a great oportunity to put picture of "yellow warning sign" to this video, saying: CAT EYES REMOVED :D

[@tardismole]

I remember Shaw's granddaughter phoning in during the Saturday morning shows we used to get, Swap Shop ect (I forget which one it was exactly), but she mentioned that her granddad had invented the cat's eyes. And my instant reaction was "no, he didn't". To my father, who shot me down more regularly than a pound of plums for knowing something he didn't, if you're watching this: I'm vindicated. So there.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Well good, I'm glad we settled that for you

[@DaveLee37]

When I was just a nipper, my parents convinced me that there was a person running under the road, just in front of us, switching the lights on for us as we went past. 😂

[@stepheneyles2198]

I think he works in Germany now, turning on the Autobahn lights for travellers before they pass!

[@ASteele8450]

I’ve touched a road stud on an abandoned road in Hertfordshire a few years back, the glass reflector had long been disintegrated but the rubber casing still remained, it was quite interesting to see up close. The newer road studs are mostly solar powered which look very odd, I much prefer the original iron casting ones.

[@johntomlinson6849]

I remember being with my dad as he drove back from Liverpool to Manchester on the M62 back in the mid-1970s when the section near St Helens and Burtonwood had no street lights - don't know if it does now. It didn't matter one jot. At night, you could see so far ahead with Mr Shaw's cats eyes that you could see the curve of the road with great ease and the green and red of slip roads were equally obvious. Modern road studs and sometimes the painted line are useless.

[@RandomGrinch]

Blimey! Have you taken over the media! Walesonline have at least four main stories on their front page linking to your shenanigans! 😊 Keep up the good work.

[@AutoShenanigans]

It must be a slow news week in Wales! Thanks mate.

[@chriscunningham1348]

It must be Percy Shaw there's even a weather Spoon's in Halifax called the Percy Shaw

[@AutoShenanigans]

There is, I'm yet to go there, I suspect I would not be welcomed :D

[@memyselfandeye1234]

Nice one for the Channel and Vids John peace

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks mate

[@bryan3550]

Excellent work, Jon, super sleuth!

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks a lot

[@mgutkowski]

That's how patents work... All you have to do is demonstrate an inventive step, and you can protect it. It's perfectly likely that he did have the idea, found out about the existing patents and worked around them. This goes on all the time in every patent attorney's in tray every day.

[@AutoShenanigans]

yeah it's fair to say, Shaw put together the "complete package"

[@ThexMJT]

Love how in UK, they are spring loaded and go back into their hole to wash the reflective face, its so clever.

[@AutoShenanigans]

It was a clever idea, fair play to Shaw.

[@orwellboy1958]

Wicked, sweet, awesome.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

Great you opened the discussion - now a follow up please on the LED ones on the A38 - as previously mentioned.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Where on the A38 specifically sir.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

@@AutoShenanigans "The studs have been introduced as part of £8.5m worth of improvements to journeys along the A38 between Ripley and junction 28 of the M1 near Mansfield - a stretch that is used by more than 23,000 vehicles every day." Google A38 Solar Studs for more details.

[@andrewg.carvill4596]

One of the best put downs I have heard of a person's driving style came from a Mexican who said the this person "had driven the seventy miles from Saltillo to Monterrey without missing a single cat's eye". Blap, blap, blap, blap ........

[@KravKernow]

"They're only cats eyes if they come from Shaw's factory in Halifax, otherwise they're just sparkling...oh, well that would work too"

[@antoniotagus1626]

Excellent video!

[@clarewillison9379]

Was told as a child that my engineer (maternal) grandfather drew up the manufacturing plans for cats’ eyes. Now I want to find out more.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Be interesting to find out...

[@akula9713]

A patent or idea can incorporate existing ideas in a novel way. It’s the novel way that is the heart of the patent. So yes Shaw deserves the credit. He took existing ideas and used them for a practical application in a novel way. I suggest you read up on patent law.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks for watching!

[@officialmcdeath]

1:33 carrot's eyes definitely improve night vision \m/

[@ColinMill1]

Years ago I read a quote from the Wright brothers about the development of the aeroplane that was something like "to have an idea is nothing: to build it is not much: to make it work is everything" I think this applies here.

[@joeweston3252]

when l was young they fascinated me john l thought they had lights in them until my dad told me they reflect off of the headlights l didn't find them so cool then but great invention.

[@AutoShenanigans]

hehe, you're not the only one in the comments to have thought that :D

[@chillybrit2334]

I've never heard these things referred to as a "road stud". Always cats' eyes. "Road Stud" sounds like a sticker some particularly charismatic long distance HGV driver would have plastered in their cab window - who has 19 children across 7 continents - and five wives - who he sends a tenner to each year, thereby fulfilling his fatherly duty to support the spawn (in his own mind). A life to aspire to! :/

[@millennialchicken]

As a local of Halifax, Queensbury Road is one of the single most sketchy places to drive along. Every kind of hazard you can think of can happen to you several times on that stretch of tarmac.

[@johnnyvvlog]

It is a beautiful drive though. I very much enjoy traveling along it whenever I visit the area.

[@millennialchicken]

@@johnnyvvlog oh yeah the views up there are A+

[@gibfear]

The biggest threat up there these days is the usual suspects racing about in Golfs (innit) and Audis (innit), not forgetting the odd Lamborghini for certain special events (innit)... 😄

[@AutoShenanigans]

The hazards are what make it fun!

[@comedyhunter]

Awesome, you took up my idea I commented on your last video.

[@AutoShenanigans]

well... It was going to be "the story of catseyes" but then I discovered the whole thing about patents and Shaw "lifting" the idea. It changed the video somewhat. I'll do a video that looks at cat eyes technology in more detail at some point.

[@comedyhunter]

@@AutoShenanigans yes amazing what you discover when you research stuff. Look forward to the next video. I don’t really go on motorways but I really enjoy all your videos, thanks for making them.

[@stepheneyles2198]

That poster at 1:22 is beautiful! I bet it would set off the Animal Rights people those days... (yes, I am a cat lover!)

[@AutoShenanigans]

It's lovely isn't it, I happened to stumble across it so borrowed it for the video.

[@MrGarethDHughes]

Love the environment friendly eco warrior cats eye at thr end.

[@mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm420]

It's the self-cleaning idea which was novel, not the reflectors.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

Just proves that history is written by the winners. Anyway, the story about the tramlines has a bit of credibility because the bends above Boothtown can be dodgy in a thick fog - the kind we used to get quite often before the Clean Air act - and there's a long steep drop on one side so staying on the road is rather important. 😁

[@harri2626]

Seems perfectly OK for Shaw to build on previous designs and experience, just like millions of other product designers do. He didn't breach any patents and developed the finished product honourably. Makes a pleasant change from the usual "British idea, developed overseas".

[@AutoShenanigans]

Yeah he's alright really

[@thepvporg]

The story I heard was it was a miner that invented the cats eye road stud as a system of marking a path for miners to follow in the dark on the way home from the light of their lamps they carried. There was a wickers world feature on the guy and for the life of me I can't recall the guys name.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Interesting about the Miners.. I'll look into that.

[@moodyb2]

Whicker did an episode and interview with Percy Shaw.

[@claywalsh6817]

The story was told on Alan Partridge. It was a Funny section

[@flyingpanhandle]

One thing is to consider, they could all have come to the same conclusion without ever seeing each others work. A Norwegian bloke filing a patent in the USA isn't really going to be on the radar of some bloke in Halifax is it?

[@AutoShenanigans]

A very fair point and probably correct.

[@sheldon97sheldon]

Okay, I wasn't expecting to see my house here.

[@AutoShenanigans]

I'm still hiding in the bushes...

[@pjweds]

My Mum used to work in a Patent office and remembered typing up the Cats Eye Patent..

[@whichwasher2007]

Auto Shinanigans is a professional channel. With excellent attention to detail. Forgot to turn the washing machine off though while recording voice over at 2:23 😂

[@AutoShenanigans]

Well if anyone was going to notice... ;-) I thought I'd got away with it. The question is, can you identify the make and model via it's beep?

[@leathleyg5995]

I remember collecting a parcel from Refecting Road Studs, in Halifax, back in the 1980s. Going into the office was like travelling back in time. It looked like it hadn't changed a bit since the 1930s. I had to wait 10 minutes for a man in a brown boiler coat and flat cap to meticulously wrap the parcel in brown paper and string.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Sounds awesome! I wonder if it's still like that.

[@Rjhs001]

Speaking as a completely dispassionate and unbiased Yorkshireman, who happens to share Percy Shaw's family name, in my humble opinion anyone who tries to discredit Percy Shaw needs to be soundly pummeled using an oversized Yorkshire pudding. Other than that, a thoroughly enjoyable video.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Bring on the Yorkshire pudding then I suppose... I'll eat my way out.

[@tradingcardboss]

Most Interesting 😺👁️👁️😺Story

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks for watching

[@grindelston5968]

Yaayyy 'alifax The old cats eyes factory is still theer, up boothtown just dosnt make cats eyes anymore, I think it's an engineering company now

[@boola69]

I spent many hours installing road studs, which you might find an interesting procedure.

[@redboyjan]

How is your back?

[@boola69]

@@redboyjan Well, a machine does the milling out, the pads are already installed off site, so not so back breaking installing them initially. The back breaking part is the the re-padding of the studs, which involved a lot of bending. Put it this way, you know when you’ve done a full shift. The worst part is having to clean out the cavity if it’s full of years of grit and stones.

[@AutoShenanigans]

It doesnt sound interesting, but it does sounds interesting :D if you know what i mean.

[@boola69]

@@AutoShenanigans Jon, believe me you would be fascinated by the installation method. It’s amazing how a cast iron housing is held in the road and then a rubber insert (which holds the “eyes”) is inserted. Road marking (or white lining as it’s allowed to be called in some places) is another interesting vocation also. Would love to see you do a video on those 2 subjects.

[@redprince3158]

In retospect this idea has saved a lot of lives over the years 😊

[@al3k]

When I was a kid someone told me it was actually a Polish guy who came up with it...... Strange little thing to have many myths about really but whatever.. :)

[@AutoShenanigans]

Polish.... close enough.

[@CelticSaint]

Reminds me of an Alan Partridge episode!

[@El_Smeghead]

I first learnt about Cat's Eyes on an episode of Quantum Leap back in the late 80s (or was it white lines down the centre of the road??)

[@amytysoe2292]

as i remember it, it was white lines on the edge of the road - if we're thinking of the same bit

[@El_Smeghead]

@@amytysoe2292 That's right! I think Sam referred to it as "striping"

[@fredericksaxton3991]

I remember stopping my Jag on a winding bendy country road near Rowlands Castle about 20 years ago and was perturbed to see lit up cats-eyes in my rear view mirror. I even stopped when safe, it was about 2am, and got out to see if my reversing lights were stuck on, they weren't, and presumed that they must have been powered cats-eyes. Why powered, I cannot think.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Ahh... this is interesting.. I had the same thing around 20 years ago, and actually a particular road became locally known as "space road" because of these fancy self lighting cats eyes. These days, they're everywhere but 20 years ago it was a rare sight. Anyway, how the buggery did they power themselves 20 years ago, surely not solar as it was crap back then.

[@pipmimi]

The mug full of crayons made me giggle

[@AutoShenanigans]

I sign all my important documents with crayon.

[@crisps642]

John can you take a look as to why on certain roads such as the A1M up north near Durham and the m42 near Tamworth there are stretches a few miles long which have a restriction on HgVs using the outside lane between certain hours. Not sure if there’s anymore around but they seem pretty strange as to why they are there.

[@DaveLee37]

I may be able to help there, as I was using the M42 regularly whilst the time trial was in place. That particular stretch of M42 is only two lanes wide, and it was deemed that the constant overtaking of HGVs by HGVs at a relative speed of ~0.5mph was causing excessive disruption to the traffic behind it. So a time trial was put in place to see what would happen if - just for that stretch - they restricted HGVs to the inside lane only. Clearly it worked, as it became a permanent fixture.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Yep I think Dave is on the money there.

[@crisps642]

Thanks to you both it just puzzled me as a hgv driver why were stuck behind a slower wagon not able to overtake for 3 miles when the other lane is clear and wide enough to take us especially on a motorway. Another oddity of the UK network eh

[@FamilyFF4]

hi - good vid but what about these new fangled self lighting LED lane markers we have now? what are they all about? how to they work? or not as they seem to half be busted after about a month!

[@AutoShenanigans]

Good questions that I intend to answer one day

[@Dog1eg]

Aliens at 0:55! 🤣🤣😂😂

[@Yorkshiremadmick]

In Northumberland they’re removing cats eyes from their roads. Apparently no need for them

[@AutoShenanigans]

Is that so... I wonder why they decided they weren't needed.

[@ukar69]

The local A road has the meta sockets for cat's eyes but has replaced them with plastic reflectors.

[@simoncroft9792]

Hi Jon - There is a junction on the A41 in Shropshire where the cats eyes are red, green and white LEDs that light up when traffic present. Really effective, but never seen these anywhere else?

[@AutoShenanigans]

There's actually quite a few around, I shall be looking into them at some point.

[@johnhandley6406]

Depends I guess on what Percy was claiming on his patent Perhaps just the rubbery bit

[@AutoShenanigans]

I think it was the whole device for use in "lane division" or something like that.

[@johnhandley6406]

@@AutoShenanigans From what you have discovered John, it seems as though Percy might not have been able to stop anyone making metal reflective road studs....shame no one thought of doing that....or perhaps they did and they were just #%@!p

[@TheCardiganR]

As I understand it, he earned a penny for every cats eye produced and it earned him millions.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Yeah he did alright from it... WW2 sort of "helped" a bit

[@zen4men]

The way collective intelligence works, when seeking to move human evolution on a bit, is to have several people around the world developing very similar ideas, so that if most fall by the wayside, one will get through. Like Mr Shaw.

[@eddiemaylor2716]

Interesting stuff, why did you investigate this story?

[@AutoShenanigans]

Someone requested a "cats eyes" video and it lead to me finding all this stuff out.

[@KravKernow]

Shaw also came up with the idea of shelves that looked like steps. But that didn't seem to catch on as much.

[@AutoShenanigans]

really... thats interesting. Dont ikea sell them now?

[@Bluefire397]

I grew up about 5 minutes away from the factory, in fact I used to have boxing lessons in an adjacent building lmao.

[@mrab4222]

2:23 "Knut" is pronounced as it written, like in King Canute.

[@AutoShenanigans]

yeah I had no idea

[@user-ni9gr1qn5t]

The cat's eye just one of those thing's we take for granted ,they are just there But a good story John thanks

[@AutoShenanigans]

I suppose the same could be said for a lot of road infrastructure. Thanks for watching.

[@jayd8743]

More like this please. And I wish the cats eyes would be replaced let alone filling in the pot holes.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Lets start with the potholes, and if theres any money left we can chuck in some LED catseyes.