Leader: Drivers are frustrated by traffic light hold-ups
Traffic islands that are controlled by traffic lights have become one of the banes of the modern day motorist’s life.
Traffic islands that are controlled by traffic lights have become one of the banes of the modern day motorist’s life.
When they are built, often at great expense, motorists endure lengthy delays as workers dig up roads, lay cables, connect electricity supplies and flick the switch.
Once the traffic lights are installed, the situation seldom seems better than it was in earlier times. There are still lengthy queues to get past traffic islands during peak times – and at quieter times the presence of traffic lights at traffic-free islands is just plain daft.
Such are the views held by many motorists whose journeys are interrupted as they go about their daily lives.
Now, the Highways Agency has added weight to such views. A survey into traffic islands at Trench Lock, in Telford, and at Emstrey and Dobbies, in Shrewsbury, have provided a consistent view: traffic lights do little to reduce accidents.
When traffic lights were first introduced to traffic islands, we were told that they were for our own good. The number of accidents would fall and we’d all enjoy safer motoring, so the logic went.
Now the argument has shifted, presumably because there is no empirical evidence to back up such claims. Rather than being installed as part of an accident prevention plan, they are there to improve traffic flows and decrease congestion.
Evidence may support that notion and, as such, motorists may shave a minute or so from their morning and evening commute. However, they pay the price at other times. All motorists will have found themselves enduring the absurdity of being held by red lights at other times of day.
There are few things as silly as a red traffic light at a traffic-less island at 6am, 1pm, midnight or other times. Such interruptions to journeys are futile. They do not improve road safety, merely cause anxiety and irritation.
The Highways Agency’s latest survey does little to boost confidence in planners and highways engineers. Surely it’s time for a different approach.
If lights work at busy times but cause delays at others, there’s a simple solution: leave them on at peak times – but at all other times, switch them off.
Comments for: "Leader: Drivers are frustrated by traffic light hold-ups"
R Suppards
I wonder if these 'traffic planners' have custard instead of brains? When we first came to Telford in 1999 there were no traffic lights and the flow of vehicles was self regulating and functional. Taking the particularly complex set of lights at Trench Lock as an example, this set of unsynchronised lights appears to have been designed and installed by the Marx Brothers after a bad night out. Stop, go, stop, go, stop all in the space of 150 yards. Has someone at T&W Council opened a tin of traffic lights, or are they on some kind of Government incentive to screw things up for the poor motorist? Hallelujah for the day these wretched traffic lights are permanently removed.
Drone
Seconded. Can't wait for the new ones at J6 of the M54 to be switched on, that'll improve things no end. Quality road markings too as you exit the motorway westbound - the left lane to turn left, the two right hand lanes to go straight on. Eh? What? Back onto the motorway then? Custard for brains indeed.
julian
The article says at Dobbies the accidents have gone down by about half. So have the traffic queues on a morning! So in some situations lights on roundabouts are a good thing. But I'd probably agree that switching off the lights outside busy times would be a sensible move. Waiting at lights when the roads are empty at 11pm is rather pointless.
Brian
Rush hours bring traffic congestion, no matter what measures are taken. It's something we have to live with.
Whoever sanctoned the installation of traffic lights at traffic islands in Telford should be fired for incompetance.
Some years ago the traffic lights at the Cock Hotel in Wellington were out of service for some weeks when someone. Did it cause traffic chaos? No quite the opposite the traffic flowed smoother. Enough said!
grumpy old man
I remember back in the late eighties/early nineties, a report in the Star where someone from TDC or the council, was boasting that you could get from one end of Telford to the other in ten minutes,even in the rush hour...and it was true.
Just try getting from one end to the other in twenty minutes now, even at quiet times...you will be lucky.
Michael Wilkinson
When I asked a T+W transport and highways officer if traffic lights could be switched off when there was no need for them for instance after midnight he replied no.Asked why not he replied that Motorists would be confused.
There you have it boys and girls,you are officially declared too thick to understand.
roadrunner
It's a shame that these highly paid officers are too stupid to realise that people out in the real world, have far more intelligence than they have .
grumpy old man
About ten years ago, the Main traffic island at Telford centre had part time lights, going on at 7A.M. and going off about 6PM. It would be interesting to know how many accidents occurred when the lights were off (if any) compared to the number of accidents between those hours now.
pete
In regard of planning/transport/highways you get what you voted for.A Labour council that is high cost, poor maintenance, and over regulated.
What is the point of extending the M54/6 if you lose so much time in avoidable traffic congestion in the town itself. Its typical socialist incompetence so I'll just shut up and do what I'm told.
Jeff
Why am I not surprised that introducing lights to traffic islands has not reduced crashes (they are seldom pure accidents). Drivers once respected traffic lights and whilst there were errors of judgement and the inevitable amber gambler you did not generally see the deliberate act of carrying on through deep into the red phase that is so widespread these days.
Yes it may be symptomatic of the general indiscipline and lack of respect people show these days but creating traffic queues and forcing drivers to sit at red lights when there is no traffic coming from the other direction is not going to reverse the trend.
martinslack
What on earth is the point of having pedestrian crossings at traffic lights that activate when there is not a pedestrian any where to be seen. All that does is frustrate motorists who are needlessly held up and then speed to make up the lost time.In common with others I am sure Wrekin planners have custard for brains and as a rate payer I am not getting value for my money , perhaps Trading Standards could investigate.
Trench Foot
The biggest problem at Trench Lock is that the painted signage on the road has worn away, thus making lane lines and direction signs invisible.
This is a major problem when approaching along the A518 from Donnington / Newport direction
When you get to the first set of traffic lights there are two lanes. As you bear left you then get 3 lanes, (left lane to Trench, Middle lane to A442 to Telford Town Centre, and right hand lane to Hadley or A442.
When the lines were first painted on the road, they clearly showed which lane you needed to be in. Now they have “vanished” through wear and tear, cars are cutting across lanes, and accidents are happening
I suggest T&W line painting dept. get down to Trench Lock ASAP and paint back the road signage
Read more: http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2012/06/11/new-traffic-lights-fail-to-cut-crash-figures/#ixzz1xZEfeL1W
TommyGun
Highly frustrating when you consider all of these road works barely have anyone even working on them, yet they continue to leave lanes closed & cones creating more bottle necking.
Sort it out!
Wenlock Un
"cars are cutting across lanes, and accidents are happening"
So picking up on earlier comments, is it the lights/paint that are the issue or the level of intelligence of drivers?
The arrogance/impatience of people on the roads today is appalling, not to mention the inability to use lanes, indicators, etc.
Only yesterday, on a 2way road with parked cars obstructing my side, I conceded right of way to the vehicle waiting to proceed towards me, only to be overtaken by the two vehicles behind who saw their slim chance to push through on the tail of other traffic ahead, making the other driver wait longer. Muppets!!
And you think a lick of paint is the answer?
grumpy old man
To be honest, Wen Un, I believe the reason for so much road rage and bad driving these days is the increase in traffic lights and lower speed limits. I certainly get more frustrated these days (and many my age agree), than we used to when we first started driving. Even as young drivers, I don't remember much, if any, road rage (there certainly wasn't a name for it then).
Frustration does cause bad driving habits and when LA's try and dumb everything down (as in the case that Michael stated, about the T and W lights) it's bound to result in a negative reaction to insulting the intelligence of people who have the ability to pass a test in the first place.
Heather
It would be interesting to see how much money the council spent repainting the road signage at the lawley roundabout (Jct 6) off the M54... as shortly afterwards this road was all dug up and heavy plant crossing as they started to install another lane and install new traffic lights. Perhaps the plans board of the current administration should have more forward thinking in what they approve!
Drone
Forward thinking? You're asking a lot there Heather!
Gringo
Unlike the standard Shropshire driving licence, an engineering degree can't just be pulled from a budget christmas cracker.
Cones go out for a reason
lines are painted for a reason
Lights go up for a reason
And so on and so on.
All for the same reason dumb sheep need to be hearded.
The public just can't be trusted, not to hurt themself or others.
really confused
So how many officers in the highways department actually have an engineering degree, related to highways, Gringo? Does the head of the highways department have a highways engineering degree too? These things would be useful to know. I've heard stories about head of departments making sideways moves, when someone leaves, into a post they nothing about. Perhaps you can confirm or deny this for us poor minions/sheep?
grumpy old man
Ha ha, here we go again...an overinflated council "officer"'s ego stating the obvious...they know best because they have just left school with a "degree" and we poor drivers with nearly forty years don't have a clue.
It's just a shame that the results of their work doesn't match up to their egos isn't it?
Then we wouldn't have the disaster that is the E.P. with it's increase in accidents since it's big changes. The Trench Lock roundabout with it's increased accident rate. The farce that is ketley brook. The £140,000 drain pipe fence at Old Park...do I need to go on?
Perhaps you should swap your useless bits of paper, for a bit of driving experience and get out into the real world and see what is really needed out there?
R Suppards
Shrophsire issues its own driving licences?
And why do you want to listen to dumb sheep, whose conversation is likely to be on a par with T&WC planning officers?
Oliver
I live in Lawley surrounding all the new devolpment. When we moved to the secluded estate built over 10 years ago plonked in the middle of no-where, it was a quick 3-5 minute drive to Tescos.
Now, we have to go through 3 sets of traffic lights - not including the new set currently being installed on the roundabout for the M6 and the set waiting to go in between the crossroads at the Lawley Drs and the new Morrisons.
Who on earth thought 5 sets of traffic lights in the space of 3 minutes from the 1st set the 5th set would be a good idea?
Heather
Ironstone? Another useless 'authority'....
George @ Dawley
The design concept was laid down by TWC and the HCA long before the Ironstone developers came into being. The design concept is to keep traffic moving in what will become a busy town centre - Lawley will have 2500 homes, shops, schools and commercial offices etc. At the peak that could be 5000+ moe cars on Lawley Drive and West Centre Way than now. To keep that lot moving needed wider roads and signalised junctions.
The draw back is that TWC planning insisted that the road widening and new junctions were installed BEFORE the 2500 new houses. So for the next 20 years until all the houses are built, you will have the new roads and junctions but not the traffic. Enjoy the space and quick journey times while you can as I predict chaos will reign in a few years as the traffic levels build up.
No one at Ironstone would disagree that West Centre Way at Morrisons is daft and badly designed, however, attempts to simplify it were rejected by your beloved and much respected TWC planning dept.
Chris
Queues at Emstrey Island during the morning & evening rush hours have increased since the lights were introduced... FACT