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I need to navigate a large, busy and complex traffic circulatory system near me several times a week. Its many traffic lights have been out of action for a month for some kind of refurbishment and motorists have been left to sort themselves out. This they have done perfectly well, with good considedration, without anyone bullying their way through and with, of course, faster throughput. The lights seem to be redundant and I wonder where else this might apply.
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We've just had some newly fitted around a roundabout near me and they're causing massive tailbacks.
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Most traffic lights would be better replaced with mini or indeed maxi roundabouts. There are two four way junctions on the same main road through our town. One is managed by lights and leads to congestion, the other is a mini roundabout and flows nicely.
Go figure, as the colonials might have it.
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Tinsley Viaduct in Sheffield was the same when the lights went down during the 2007 floods, morning commute was much easier.
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There was a set of lights installed just down the road from me. Initially there was some local campaigning about how they had caused the traffic to be worse, then they failed for 24 hours and normal traffic was resumed.
For once the council accepted the improvement and agreed to a 4 week trial of turning the lights off. Everything went smoothly and the lights have now been removed.
www.rudi.net/node/21576
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Conversely, there's a set of lights at a major roundabout in town. Since they went in there have been campaigns for their removal as they cause massive congestion.
The other week they failed for a morning - I sailed though at 7:20 and thought that proved the point, but I watched the live traffic map in the office from about ten minutes later and the whole town ground to a halt for a good couple of hours. Way worse than when the lights are working.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Fri 25 Nov 11 at 14:06
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Lights on a roundabout at Leazes Road, Durham City, improved traffic flow, despite almost universal reservations from the motoring public.
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Similarly the London Colney roundabout on the North Orbital - for years a total nightmare in the rush hours. The traffic lights have ensured some kind of sanity, though it must be impossible to prevent delays, such is the volume of traffic.
For those who don't know this notorious junction, it's where the east-west North Orbital (A414), linking the M1 and the A1, intersects the A1081, which links St Albans with the M25 Jct 22. For good measure, the fifth exit from the roundabout is to London Colney itself. It's a classic instance of long-distance and local traffic mixing, with the possibility of short-cuts and rat-runs for those drivers that know the area.
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Lights on the A244 cobham roundabout over the A3. A complete waste of time causes complete chaos - I ignore them, its a roundabout for gods sake, I know what to do at a Roundabout.
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>> ignore them, its a roundabout for gods sake, I know what to do at a Roundabout.
Quite Zeddo. There are busy urban junctions where traffic lights are essential, but any simple 4-way is likely to flow better with a roundabout or mini-roundabout.
The most lethal arrangement is a light-controlled pedestrian crossing on top of a roundabout. It's easy to mistake the light for one that controls the roundabout if you don't know the place. There's one on the A24 at the south end of Dorking that damn nearly caught me out before I caught on.
There are two reasons why there are so many redundant traffic lights. One is that the manufacturers lobby - bribe - the local authorities. The other is that local authority officials, as well as being grossly overpaid, are thick, philistine, smug little control freaks who need their bums kicked hard and often.
Pedestrians need culling too. They often wait at a pedestrian crossing light, pressing the button repeatedly, when there is no traffic in sight anywhere. I'm not talking about the very old or nervous mothers with toddlers either. I'm talking about slack-jawed, cud-chewing twerps of all sexes and ages.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Fri 25 Nov 11 at 16:01
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Good to see you mellowing in your views AC . Country air must be doing you good :-)
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If you want to see the chaos that springs from replacing a traffic island with a system of traffic lights and "calming", visit Newtown in Powys. Traffic is frequently at a standstill and the main A483 becomes gridlocked even outside peak periods.
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Redundant traffic lights? - Bill Payer
