General Chat

Over a year ago at some roadworks on the A47, on a roundabout they installed two sets of traffic lights..on a five exit roundabout

ok so far, BUT when they switched them on, the actual traffic flow didnt perform as their computer model had forecast,and caused a drastic tailback up the A47 sliproad which they then considered dangerous, so they switched em OFF and bagged them OUT OF USE. yesterday morning apparently they switched them on without adding any warning signs that the lights were now live......result? Motorists using a roundabout in the normal sense of the word were suddenly hit with traffic on the second side of the roundabout, at a standstill........

I was one that NEARLY came a cropper tonight!!

the mind boggles!!

Bob

'Someone' obviously decided that they couldn't have non-functioning lights.
As you say, a warning would be good.....

There is a roundabout near Ashford, Kent where the traffic flows so much better if ever the traffic lights are not working. It's common to see a queue of traffic backed up on the slip road off the M20, waiting to approach the roundabout. One day they might get the phasing right and stop this problem.... won't hold my breath though.

Gwyn

Just driven through there and it is working ok, although the traffic is lighter than normal with the kids being off school. However, they have now removed one set of lights completely, on the approach coming up from Tesco's

this is it IGP, if BOTH sets were ON you would SEE that the lights are live, Coming from tescos' ,not suddenly coming across traffic at a standstill.on the " Blind " side of the roundabout.

Shelly, this is true, thats what roundabouts are for BUT traffic already on it have right of way.......( and this particular one is almost an underpass under the A47) and you cant see around it, as it were......

See what you mean Peter, the first set are gone now,
giving NO indication until you you are on top of em..........what moron thought of that idea,? a highly paid one, I guess.......

Bob

At vast expense traffic lights were installed on the Army and Navy roundabout in Chelmsford which has five roads leading onto it a couple of years ago.

I think that now only one set is still operational and that's only part time.