A councillor says he’s ‘bemused’ by plans for traffic lights on a major junction, and is asking officials to think again.Major work is currently under way on the junction of Doddington Road and Birchwood Avenue in Lincoln to prepare it for increased traffic in the future, according to LincsOnline.
Coun Biff Bean is calling for the actual traffic lights not to be installed as he’s worried they could actually make the flow of vehicles worse.
He met with highways officials last week, and Lincolnshire County Council says it is open to discussions if a formal proposal is made.
“When I heard that traffic lights were being put in, I was bemused,” Coun Bean said. The junction has managed fine for years. If traffic lights are added, it could cause gridlock.”
The upgrades were originally required by Lincolnshire County Council’s highways department as part of the City of Lincoln Council’s Charterholme housing project nearby.
It was expected that the 3,200 new homes being built would put extra pressure on the junction. Since then, permission has been granted for a new bridge to directly connect Charterholme with Triton Road, which the city council says will improve traffic.
“My proposal is that they carry on upgrading the junction and put provisions in for traffic lights, but don’t do it until there’s need,” Coun Bean said. The flow of traffic from Charterholme doesn’t warrant it at this stage, and probably never will.
“By the time more homes are built, the North Hykeham Relief Road and the spine road (with Tritton Road) will be open. I’m hoping that the councils can work together on this.”
The City of Lincoln Council has previously said it no longer believes the lights are necessary, but is required to put them in by planning conditions.
Ashley Behan, the county council’s traffic manager, said:
“Following a meeting with Coun David East, Coun Bean and LCC officers, we were able to discuss in detail the issues with the transport modelling that has been made a necessity because of this development. As has been previously stated, in order to secure planning within the Charterholme development, the measures for the junction were put in place as essential elements for those travelling through the area.
“As this property development, and subsequent traffic management, is being overseen and run by the city council, is now the case that they will need to formally propose these adjustments for consideration in order for them to be progressed.”
(Picture: Mapillary)_
