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Number of traffic lights up by 30 per cent
Monday 28th February 2011, 11:30AM GMT.
The number of traffic lights on Britain’s roads has increased by nearly a third in eight years, a report revealed today, prompting calls for an overhaul of jam-causing junctions.
The study by the RAC Foundation reveals numbers jumped by around 30 per cent between 2000 and 2008 to more than 25,000 sets across the country.
The report by former national transport and planning chief Irving Yass revealed traffic signals equipped to give priority to buses went up from 3,801 at the beginning of 2007 to 8,425 at the end of 2008.
The review, called Every Second Counts, resulted in calls by transport chiefs for the number of junctions to be reduced to cut congestion and speed up traffic.
The number of light-controlled junctions in the West Midlands has grown, with one recent example being the overhaul of the island near Walsall Arboretum.
The roundabout was dug up and replaced with a five-arm traffic light junction as part of a £23 million ring road development which was completed in 2009.
Yet a survey found motorists’ journey times were being worsened by a minute.
In Dudley, Burnt Tree Island is being replaced by a four-arm crossroads at a cost of £12m.
RAC director Professor Stephen Glaister said: “Depending when and where you are, traffic lights can ease your journey or be a source of frustration.
“It is plain that lights have an important role to play but with ever more-congested streets they need to be very finely tuned to ensure they are not doing more harm than good — and that means they must react to changing traffic conditions.”
The report also said The Department for Transport should consider carrying out trials of flashing amber lights at times when there is little traffic, which would allow drivers to proceed with caution at junctions. It said authorities should consider standardising the green man invitation to cross period at six seconds rather than the usual 10 seconds.
It also said local authorities should see if they can remove traffic lights or replace them with alternatives such as mini-roundabouts.
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The right turn at a red light (left in our case) Which USA/Canada and other European counties used should also be considered. Nothing more annoying than you getting to a cross road and wanting to turn left when you have your own lane and nothing is coming from the right but can’t because there is a red light.
They should also join more minor roads together and create new rat runs. Not estate roads but industrial estates maninly. There are so many unused roads in our region left unused because they are blocked off by and old canal or railway line. Many of which are just grass banks or trenches now. affectively creating new roads by tarmacking a small piece of waste land.
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Perhaps some money could also be saved by not installing quite so many traffic light “heads”.
For example, at the M54 J2 roundabout, there are an incredible 7 traffic lights facing each line of traffic. There are 8 lines of traffic (4 arms, with traffic in 2 directions at each), which means that there are a whopping 56 traffic lights on one roundabout!
I don’t know how much a traffic light costs, but I’m sure they’re not cheap.
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I am waiting to see what the local authority will use as an excuse when they eventually see what drivers have been telling them that Burnt Tree is a £12 million mistake.
If they look at the history of traffic islands they will see that they are more efficient but increasing the flow of traffic. They have also proved to be much safer and when accidents take place they are less serious and are easier to clear.
Perhaps councillors one day will listen and not just at election times.
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