New traffic lights placed on a main road into a Black Country town are causing traffic chaos – with long tailbacks forming even at quiet times of the day, drivers claim.
Hundreds of motorists travelling into and leaving Stourbridge use Amblecote High Street every day – with many finding themselves caught in long queues.
Even outside the busy rush hour times, tailbacks are forming at the new traffic lights, which were only recently switched on, with cars queuing bumper-to-bumper in both directions.
The problems have now prompted drivers and councillors to call for the signals to become only pedestrian operated to prevent the congestion getting any worse.
Fears are growing the delays will be compounded when work at the Corbett Hospital site is completed and people move into the new housing estate at the former gasworks site.
Amblecote councillor Liz Walker said she often used the road and there had been a significant difference since the lights were switched on.
“They are causing problems along the A491 and not just at rush hour when you expect problems,” she said.
“Long queues are also forming during quiet parts of the day including first thing on Sunday morning when the roads are not exactly teeming with cars.”
Councillor Walker said she would speak with highways bosses about making changes.
“I think we need to be looking at making them pedestrian-operated lights so people could use them to cross the carriageway but they would not disrupt traffic,” she added.
Highways officials at Dudley Council say they have received no official complaints and all views on the lights had been positive.
3 Comments
I agree entirely with the article concerning the traffic lights at Amblecote, absolute madness!!!
This is on top of the long drawn out road works at Wordseley.
I live in Northfield Birmingham and now have to make a 7 mile detour on the A449 to avoid this debacle.
What on earth are Dudley playing at, I think a few people should be held responsible.
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I fully agree - these new traffic lights are causing chaos in both directions. Was it really necessary to introduce so many sets traffic lights ?. Vehicles exiting from the new housing development could simply have been forced to turn left towards the Ring Road. In my opinion the new traffic lights should be removed at once to aid with traffic flow.
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I find it unbelievable that Dudley Council say they have received no official complaints, since I wrote in 2 weeks ago… to compond this issue, there are two bus stops amongst the new traffic lights, so when a bus stops, there is no room for vehicles to pass due to the newly installed central reservations.
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