Roadwork plans ‘are dangerous’
Thursday 8th January 2009, 9:21AM GMT.
LETTER: So the Highways Agency is to spend half a million on installing traffic lights and revised lane markings at Emstrey Island, Shropshire Star, January 1.
This is in defiance of the unfavourable reception given by road users to the similar work at Ketley Brook and Trench Lock.
On motorways the lane indications are on overhead gantries where they are clearly visible and there is plenty of space. We are considered to be not worth it and will get the cheap alternative of painting on the road.
Drivers coming up to Emstrey fall into two categories. The first lot is probably local, familiar with the road pattern. The second lot is made up of strangers.
They very much need to read the writing on the road. Vehicles will be queueing at the lights and covering the markings, so they’ll end up in the wrong lanes.
These proposals for Emstrey Island are, at best, irritating and, at worst, dangerous.
David Lake
Bridgnorth
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This seems to be the latest trend with local authorities. The whole point of a roundabout is that the traffic is free flowing. By having traffic lights will just bring more congestion and also will mean more co2 emmisions from stationary vehicles. Thats not including the biggest problem: more accidents as people ar too busy looking at signs to see stationary vehicles in front, I have seen this happen far too often in the likes of Oxford and Reading.
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David, to the point and agreed.
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I couldn’t agree more, those of us that are local and therefore know which lane or road position to assume don’t need to worry but the immense amount of visiting traffic including lorries etc passing through the county will, as it has been stated here have problems knowing which lane to assume. Once the traffic starts to move again when the lights turn green they will then realise that their lane positioning is wrong and attempt to correct it, thus causing accidents and angry motorists. We are all told NOT to use SatNav’s, being told how dangerous they are, yet with ridiculous road markings such as these planned what else can unfamiliar motorists in strange places rely on? If they plan on making this roundabout ‘better’ then they should rethink and make it more user friendly!
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I would like to see the Highways agency reassess the new lights and lane markings at Bayley’s Island – it can be terrifying. What was so wrong with the old setup? And why have the entrance to the garden centre off the roundabout – it would have been safer off the bypass a bit further down
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My understanding of traffic islands is that they should be self-regulating, – but our highly paid “Experts” have put traffic lights to stop the flows, not to regulate the flow onto the traffic islands.
Its all called “Progress”.
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The WHOLE point of a roundabout is to inegrate traffic flows, without the absolute need to “stop”.
Most of the problems associated with roundabouts is the inability of traffic to anticipate, and to “merge” with traffic already on the island.
I have followed many a driver on the approach to this island, only to find they stop for a vehicle approaching far away on their right -instead of anticpating “the flow”, and continuing.
In addition, there seems to be another fairly large group of drivers who seem to think it is neccessary to “stop” at the access to the, island irrespective of traffic approaching or not.
In both cases – this destroys the traffic flow and causes unecessary delays.
If everyone, INCLUDING traffic “approaching” from your right, was encouraged to “give way”, and NOT EXPECT “absolute right of way”, then the roundabout would function as intended, and all traffic streams would get “an equal chance”
The alternative to all this is to NOT have a roundabout at all, and have lights.
What we are getting is a poor second rate solution – a jumbled mess of both solutions.
And finally with regard to Dobies Island – that is a specific case where two major roads, the A49 and A5 cross, which should NEVER have been provided with a roundabout.
THAT junction should have been an underpass or flyover.
The FACT that that island has had to have lights (and a controlled crossing on the A5 WEST EXIT – how dangerous is that?) added to the roundabout is an admission of gross negligence of the design in the first place.
A simlar position exists at emstrey.
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if any of these correspondents had drove a lorry for any length of time it would soon become plain that very very rarely are they caught in the x lane and a straight forward island like the one on this island should present little difficulties.most hgv drivers are faced with such problems every day and can,t afford mistakes, and surely these lights are for peak periods only.
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