Designed to create big queues

I read in several articles that the installation of the new lights system at Ketley Brook was going to reduce congestion and make the area safer, especially for pedestrians.

In actuality, so far they have not. Having undertaken a short college course at TCAT I have had to use the roundabout in question one evening a week just after 6pm and again, in the opposite direction, around 9pm.

The first four weeks I sailed through without any undue delays or incidents - these were the weeks preceding the switch-on.

Last week I caught every light on green and thanked my lucky stars after reading how they had delayed people terribly.

Last night was diabolical beyond belief. I thought there had been an accident on the motorway when I found traffic queuing onto Lawley Drive. When it didn't clear on the approach road to Tesco I thought something had happened further along. It hadn't.

The only reason I could see for the horrendous queue was the lights. When they were on green to enter Ketley Brook (coming from Tesco) they were on red to get off Ketley Brook (to go to Hadley). The sector of my journey that normally about two minutes took 15.

The solid queue continued right the way down to the Bucks Heads lights. I saw plenty of lane dodgers and I nearly had a wing mirror ripped off by a woman who saw a green light and planted her foot to the floor.

As for the pedestrians, every light was on red and not one person crossed. Life will return to normal whenever there's a power cut.

L Ford, Telford