Too many traffic lights 'make congestion worse'

The soaring number of new traffic lights is adding to congestion in London, the city's top transport official has admitted.

Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy says councils are using money from companies responsible for housing or shopping developments to put up lights where they are not needed.

He said: "We have a problem with traffic signals. We would quite like to remove some and if we can it would make a difference. If they do not add to road safety, why have them?"

New lights are frequently placed at junctions leading to roads feeding new developments, but they cause queues on existing streets, creating knock-on congestion. They are also installed at new pedestrian crossings.

Mr Hendy said most of the unwanted traffic lights were at "middle-ranking" developments and roads might be "better left as they are".

He was supported by the RAC Foundation. Executive director Edmund King said: "With the congestion charge motorists are paying more than ever, but they are being held up at more red lights as well as getting less road space with wider pavements and more bus lanes, traffic-calming schemes and road humps. It is a bad deal.

"Too many lights could be one reason that initial gains from the congestion charge have gone. On major highways, such as Euston Road and Marylebone Road, you used to get a 'green flow' so that if you did 30mph you came across green at each successive set of lights and kept moving.

"Now you hit red after red. It's bad for congestion and for pollution."

Daniel Moylan of London Councils said every new light was approved by TfL. He said his organisation agreed there were too many lights and it was encouraging councils to remove surplus sets with financial "prompts" and new guidance.

A TfL spokesman said it was providing guidance to ensure unnecessary signals were not installed or removed if they had been.