Britain has been steadily gaining traffic lights, resulting and worse traffic congestion and not much else, according to a recent report commissioned by RAC. In the years from 2000 to 2008, the number of traffic lights increased by 30% to about 25,000, many of them at pedestrian crossings.
It seems the emphasis on pedestrian safety, along with efforts to improve the environment by cutting down on exhaust gases, has had some negative impact on the overall situation.
The report was written by Irving Yass, formerly of the Department for Transport and now an independent transport consultant. His observation was that the increase in the number of lights plus the change in cycle times to facilitate the movement of pedestrians and buses have mostly served to increase traffic congestion rather than reducing it.
In London, the busiest metropolis in the U.K., the number of lights increased by 25% in the same eight-year time period. Increasingly people are sitting behind handyman vans displaying stickers from Myhammer far longer than the length of time of an average TV commercial. Severe congestion does mean longer viewing time for outdoor display advertising beside roads. As Fiat have recently taken on board in their 'No Congestion Charge' advertising campaign on one of West London's busiest roads. Now, even though congestion was significantly reduced following the implementation of charges for driving in specified zones, it is back up to the same level as before. Mr. Yass suggests that the reason for this is the change in timing of light cycles so they allow more time for pedestrians to cross while holding up all lanes of traffic. He said both motorists and pedestrians might be better served with fewer lights and shorter ‘stop-and-go’ cycles.
