The Meccano Set: how the community insisted on keeping the old look with transport infrastructure

Way back in the early 60s in an outer suburb of Sydney they erected a large structure to put up signposts and traffic signals on a wide intersection. It was built for its function not its looks and was basic and solid in its design. It became known affectionately as the Maccano Set. When it came time for it to be replaced the road authority displayed a number of modern plans. But the community hated the idea. They had their affection for their Maccano Set and so it has been replaced with a similar looking structure. Graham Patterson is a traffic engineer who has been looking into the history and the impact of this structure. He joins David Brown for a chat.