New Queensway traffic lights

[Gramaisc]

Are they made aware when, for instance, the lights at Lotus are stuck for days on end with a continuous, and spurious, pedestrian segment in the cycle, even though nobody has pushed the button? This doubles the time you have to sit there watching nobody go across. This has been a regular event for some years now.

 

[Gramaisc]

the newer type pedestrian crossings are fitted with motion detectors so they can hold the lights red for longer if people are still crossing.

That is an actual improvement.

 

[basil]

Low risk = low priority.....

 

[dylanf]

The borough council isn't a highway authority.

Sorry Staffordshire County Council Highways Department

Do pedestrians have less rights than drivers then?

Im not saying that, but it does seem that they have more rights than drivers. Dont get me wrong, there should be safe places to cross the roads, but 3 places in the space of 50 metres on a busy road seems a bit much.

Yes, they are.

Who runs it? Why isnt it functioning correctly. Surely if they were using a computer, we would not have gridlock in the evenings. The computer should be able to control the flow of traffic without any problems.

 

[henryscat]

Im not saying that, but it does seem that they have more rights than drivers. Dont get me wrong, there should be safe places to cross the roads, but 3 places in the space of 50 metres on a busy road seems a bit much.

There's a lot of pedestrians crossing though. I don't think pedestrians are being given undue priority. Outside the station for instance it takes a million years for the crossing to change after pressing the button. 9 times out of 10 I've crossed before the lights change.

Who runs it? Why isnt it functioning correctly. Surely if they were using a computer, we would not have gridlock in the evenings. The computer should be able to control the flow of traffic without any problems.

Highguyuk has explained who runs it. There is no computer on the planet that can control traffic in such a way as to magic free flow conditions at rush hour. All roads and junctions have a finite traffic capacity and when that is hit, congestion occurs. Linking traffic signals to a central computer is proven to improve traffic flow, but when you create more road capacity it invariably gets filled by latent demand. So when the higher capacity threshold created by the system is reached, congestion will still occur.

 

[db]

There seems to be traffic jams everywhere from about a month ago.

exactly.. all the hippies who are blaming it on The Evil Consumer and the rise in motorists in general surely can't believe that this sudden rise in congestion and traffic jams is down to a simple and unsustainable increase in car numbers? what on earth makes them think that the population of stafford have been rushing to buy additional cars in the last 4 to 8 weeks?

although i have no figures to refer to, i would hazard an educated guess that the number of cars in stafford right now is approximately the same as it was 3 months ago.. that being the case, why is the traffic so much worse?

 

[basil]

It's got darker in the early evening....

 

[henryscat]

although i have no figures to refer to, i would hazard an educated guess that the number of cars in stafford right now is approximately the same as it was 3 months ago.. that being the case, why is the traffic so much worse?

Traffic levels vary through the year, 3 months ago was summer when traffic volumes are definitely less. Also Sandon Road being closed will have caused traffic to re-route itself and then on re-opening everything re-routes again - so that could have had some impact. I don't know to what extent things like 50mph roadworks on the M6 between Stafford and Stoke have on people's route choice of A34 vs M6. Weather also has an effect - wet weather reduces road capacity by about 10% iirc (and no doubt more people drive to avoid getting wet).

 

[John Marwood]

It was warm today - I got two loads of washing dry

I hung my smalls on the back of the Hillman Imp and sped thru the lights creating a balmy effect

I think I might even impress her ladyship when she returns from the smoke

 

[dylanf]

although i have no figures to refer to, i would hazard an educated guess that the number of cars in stafford right now is approximately the same as it was 3 months ago.. that being the case, why is the traffic so much worse?

Traffic levels vary through the year, 3 months ago was summer when traffic volumes are definitely less. Also Sandon Road being closed will have caused traffic to re-route itself and then on re-opening everything re-routes again - so that could have had some impact. I don't know to what extent things like 50mph roadworks on the M6 between Stafford and Stoke have on people's route choice of A34 vs M6. Weather also has an effect - wet weather reduces road capacity by about 10% iirc (and no doubt more people drive to avoid getting wet).

You dont work for the highways agency do you by any chance?

 

[henryscat]

You dont work for the highways agency do you by any chance?

Fortunately, no!!

 

[highguyuk]

You dont work for the highways agency do you by any chance?

Fortunately, no!!

So who do you work for? Must admit I consider myself lucky not to work for the HA either.

 

[UltraSBM]

Are they made aware when, for instance, the lights at Lotus are stuck for days on end with a continuous, and spurious, pedestrian segment in the cycle, even though nobody has pushed the button? This doubles the time you have to sit there watching nobody go across. This has been a regular event for some years now.

I swear someone has superglued the button in there...

 

[Lucy]

I'm starting to get stuck in the morning now, coming off Queensway the next set of lights don't change until about 10 seconds later, causing the traffic to back up. This wasn't happening initially, so I wonder if the lights have gone out of sync.

 

[UltraSBM]

My 2c about the Queensway roundabout traffic lights...what an annoyance at night when there is no bloomin traffic!!!!!

Why not make them part time? lol...It would also save precious electricity and thus reduce the town's carbon footprint b*ll**ks

 

[db]

whilst i hate these new traffic lights and just wish they would get rid of them altogether, i hope they don't start turning them off at night, or any other time.. it has taken long enough for people to get used to them being there, and therefore stop ignoring them and just sailing through red lights and nearly causing collisions.. if they are not on 24hrs a day, then some people will continue to be oblivious to them during the "on" period if they are used to them being off!

 

[Wyred]

I'm starting to get stuck in the morning now, coming off Queensway the next set of lights don't change until about 10 seconds later, causing the traffic to back up. This wasn't happening initially, so I wonder if the lights have gone out of sync.

Could be the knock on effect from re routing of the traffic from the centre of town

 

[UltraSBM]

whilst i hate these new traffic lights and just wish they would get rid of them altogether, i hope they don't start turning them off at night, or any other time.. it has taken long enough for people to get used to them being there, and therefore stop ignoring them and just sailing through red lights and nearly causing collisions.. if they are not on 24hrs a day, then some people will continue to be oblivious to them during the "on" period if they are used to them being off!

Yeah I will agree with you on that...so many retarded drivers out there that wouldn't get on a college course, but they're allowed to drive...!? shocking...

 

[kyoto49]

I LOVE the new traffic lights! Seriously, I regularly have to come from Greyfriars down Queensway and on to Lammascote Road as we have the huge misfortune of having to attend the ridiculously small new Riverside (or whatever its called and another story).

Before the lights it was nye on impossible to get out from the Queensway to the roundabout because of all the idiots on the roundabout who stopped in the yellow box, thereby jamming up the flow of traffic from Queensway onto the roundabout. Now the lights stop them, so the traffic from Queensway now has a fair chance to get on to the Lammascote Road

Sorry if I'm the only one who thinks this!

 

[darben]

I LOVE the new traffic lights! Seriously, I regularly have to come from Greyfriars down Queensway and on to Lammascote Road as we have the huge misfortune of having to attend the ridiculously small new Riverside (or whatever its called and another story).

Before the lights it was nye on impossible to get out from the Queensway to the roundabout because of all the idiots on the roundabout who stopped in the yellow box, thereby jamming up the flow of traffic from Queensway onto the roundabout. Now the lights stop them, so the traffic from Queensway now has a fair chance to get on to the Lammascote Road

Sorry if I'm the only one who thinks this!

I wouldn't go as far as to say I love them, but I do agree it stops the yellow box problem at that junction. However, its only a matter of time before the novelty wears off and people drive onto the yellow box again the Queensway/Lichfield Rd/ W'ton Rd yellow box nightmare being a perfect example.

The other thing I've noticed recently is people ignoring red lights, possibly because they've got traffic light fatigue in Stafford. I also know that a lot of people are avoiding Stafford because they feel they have to battle their way through to get here.