I word of warning for anyone needing to travel between Leeds and Bradford using the A647.
I left work at 4.30pm yesterday for my usual 20 minute drive home and it took me over an hour. I found out this morning that this delay was caused by temporary traffic lights serving just 100m of road.
The lights are located half a mile from a roundabout, which in turn is half a mile from another roundabout on the Leeds ring road and a retail park. This one set of lights caused the first roundabout to clog, plus the four roads leading to it, the main ring road island was also gridlocked and the queue on the ring road in one direction was 2 miles (no doubt it was the same the other way). I would estimate 10 miles of traffic jams were caused by these lights and this was before the main rush hour.
I know water mains need replacing and there is probably never a good time, but is the week before Christmas really the best time?
|
Road closures/restrictions are controlled by the relevant authority (usually the local council). Most insist on all road works being suspended for the final week or so before Christmas and through the holiday period.
If you see any restrictions during this time, it will either be
1) emergency works
2) major works that can't be suspended and had to be programmed for a lenghty period
Utility companies and the related construction industry really aren't deliberately trying to make life harder for everyone!
|
|
The problem of temporary lights is often exacerbated by those motorists who deem themselves above the law and insist on sneaking through way after the lights have gone red and/or wind up blocking exits, junctions etc. By their nature these lights are often awkwardly sited but the selfishness of some road users adds greatly to the delays. It has to be said though that things would proceed a whole lot smoother if the utility companies and the like really got on with the work.
|
It's great fun when the temporary set are within view of a permanent set, and they are not synchronised. It's almost a cause of civil war.
Travelling between Macclesfield and Poynton recently I took two hours to do a 15 minute journey. This was caused by traffic lights at Poynton having the lights at one end on fairly permanent red. It was not possible to see the other end to check why traffic was not moving. When I got home I phoned the Police station at Poynton to let the know. I got a recorded message that was too faint to understand. Reluctantly I had to give up.
|
|
I don't mind them as there is little else that can be done if the road needs to come up, but the damn things are so unreliable. They seem prone to sticking on red in one direction for three times the duration of the opposing set. I got stuck today, silently fuming in a long queue till a workman came up and re-set them. What made it worse was next to nothing was coming in the other direction.
|
I have been stuck at temporary lights when they have decided to stay on red and in both occasions have gone against the red light after waiting for 4 or 5 minutes with no change. In both occasions I could see the other end of the works so there was no danger of meeting an on-coming car. I was surprised by the reluctance of others to go against red after it became obvious that there was a problem.
Often wondered what the situation is if lights are obviously stuck?
|
|
In my area part of the problem is technologically aware teenagers who take great delight, when temporary lights are left overnight, in setting them to stay at red both ways.
|
|
|
|
|
What gets me is when they put up these lights when the road is not actually being dug up. Ex the Farnham-Odiham road had lights for weeks and all the work was being done on the verge laying pipes. Traffic backed up and up, ok, the working guys needed some safety but a speed restriction would have done this and avoided the congestion.
|
This is a pet hate of mine. From my own experiences, no thought goes into traffic control at major roadworks. Temporary lights are put up with no consideration to which way has the most traffic flows, and at which times. A set of temporary lights near me recently didn't take into account that a huge housing estate would spit out cars towards the city in the morning, and then back again at night. Result:major tailbacks one way, minimal traffic the other.
Same goes for roadworks near fixed traffic lights-no consideration is given to which way will now have an increased traffic flow and the lights continue on their normal phases, causing major tailbacks.
All due to a lack of a little bit of foresight from the local council/roads department.
|
|
|
What gets me is when they put up these lights when the road is not actually being dug up. Ex the Farnham-Odiham road had lights for weeks and all the work was being done on the verge laying pipes. Traffic backed up and up, ok, the working guys needed some safety but a speed restriction would have done this and avoided the congestion.
Infuriating isn't it?
However, if you fancy working on an uneven verge with traffic roaring past at 70mph+ (just when was the last time you saw everyone obeying a temporary speed limit?) within a few feet of your unprotected body, trying to park vehicles required for loading/unloading without obstructing one direction of traffic, manoeuvring large pipe sections without endangering people/objects on the verge or road, you're welcome to come and see why this is the safest way of working.
|
|
|
|
