I was always under the impression that road islands - roundabouts - were designed to keep traffic moving steadily at busy junctions. So what is it with councils/authorities insisting on putting traffic lights on every roundabout nowdays? Is it just me, or does anyone else get p****d off by it?
When I was working , I have lost count of the number of times I have arrived at the M42 island at Minworth at four in the morning, the only vehicle in sight, and had to stop at every set!
I expect that many of you will have been inconvenienced by the roadworks on the A38 at Derby, A52 junction - guess what ‘improvement’ they are installing today - four sets of bl**dy traffic lights!
But it’s because some of your average car drivers cannot cope with large roundabouts or complicated junctions. Hence bang some lights on it to tell all the window licker when to go.
If they’re synchronised properly at busy times traffic keeps flowin albeit slow. If no sensors or whatever such as early morning they are a pain. I see many people go through red when no traffic obviously know there are no cameras but still
Often thought the same, if anything these traffic lit roundabouts only need to operate for the peak periods or from 6am to 8pm.
To be fair one or two of them work well, the new set on the now slightly widened roundabout A45/A509 Wellingborough has seen the previous long queues there now flowing smoothly, i have hopes that Black Cat will be better too should it get traffic lights.
Overall though i fear the whole road network, as the population approaches critical mass, will grind to a halt however many roads they build or traffic management systems they fit, quart/pint pot syndrome.
We’ve seen the best of it, all down hill from now.
They’ve put a few sets on some of the roundabouts in MK, mostly on the A5D/Duel Carriageway junctions, very useful during the rush hours, but at 05.00 in the morning ■■?No one else on the road, no camera’s, do they really expect me to stop ? when I’m on my way to work ?
The worst roundabout in MK is at Kingston/Brinklow, it’s so big & no one can see what’s coming round it at 60 mph, this is one roundabout that needs traffic lights- police, ambulance, fire brigade & news reporters on standby !
(Bloody Town Planners, speak to the professional’s)
I believe they are supposed to make junctions safer and to keep traffic moving at busy times it’s when they’re on at 3 in the morning, the majority of large junctions are computer controlled they generally use a software system called roadrunner, the small diamond shapes and rectangular boxes you see on the approach contain sensors which feed information about traffic flow and the computer then controls the switching.
If you approach slowly when there is no other traffic the sensors will tell the computer and usually the lights change, all of the above is completely irrelevant if you are daft enough to stop for a red at 3 in the morning on a desolate road, and flashing you’re headlights does nothing except make you look like a thicko.
Turn them off at night to save money on their electric and the drivers fuel. There are part time traffic lights around so there really is no excuse to have them operating 24 hours a day
mike68:
I believe they are supposed to make junctions safer and to keep traffic moving at busy times it’s when they’re on at 3 in the morning, the majority of large junctions are computer controlled they generally use a software system called roadrunner, the small diamond shapes and rectangular boxes you see on the approach contain sensors which feed information about traffic flow and the computer then controls the switching.
If you approach slowly when there is no other traffic the sensors will tell the computer and usually the lights change, all of the above is completely irrelevant if you are daft enough to stop for a red at 3 in the morning on a desolate road, and flashing you’re headlights does nothing except make you look like a thicko.
Yep
I hit 9 sets between Bristol and Plymouth back to Bristol and can time the light changes so I don’t stop at any .
dri-diddly-iver:
If they’re synchronised properly at busy times traffic keeps flowin albeit slow. If no sensors or whatever such as early morning they are a pain. I see many people go through red when no traffic obviously know there are no cameras but still
In the middle of the night I go through them if I know the junction and there’s no-one about. The days of having part time peak time only signals or the ones activated by an induction loop are long gone my friends. The vast majority of them are on a set cycle and you’ll sit there until they’re good and ready whether you like it or not. The “great” idea of putting them on roundabouts totally defeats the point of having a roundabout at all.
judging by the work thats already been done looks like the two remaining roundabouts in the center of Ashton under lyne are being replaced with trafficlights and cross roads and about time too as the big raoundabout with the phone exchange in the middle can be a nightmare
obviously know there are no cameras but still 
