Westbrook/Asda traffic lights

[disgusted]

if you are out of Warrington Monday through Friday when do these lights affect you Fatshaft, they aren't usually as bad at the weekend? ( not in any way sticking up for the lights btw)

They're not? Thank god I don't have to commute through there then, bad enough at the weekends.

 

I did corner our local councillors at the weekend (well in fairness they made me aware of their Saturday morning surgery), and in all honesty there isn't very much that they can do at this time. I understand the various reasons for why lights can't be positioned around a re-instated roundabout.

 

Of course this shouldn't have been built in the first place, but they apprently got ambushed with the plan when it had alreeady been commissioned, and those responsible have all since left the council's employ.

 

Far from satisfactory, but they are working with their hands tied now it seems.

[AdrianR]

Sorry but much worse at Weekends especially when GW is kickign out.

 

Dont accept that their hands are tied. Going back to as it was in its entirety is perfectly legal but there just isnt the will.

 

The current changes are nto goign to help so this will jyust go on and on until some one realises ?1m being spent on makign a junction much much worse is too much.

[Paul Kennedy]

 

Dont accept that their hands are tied. Going back to as it was in its entirety is perfectly legal but there just isnt the will.

 

 

Nor I think the money.

 

?1 million would have made good a lot of potholes and have cleaned a lot of gullies and drains....all a question of priorities I guess

[AdrianR]

isnt that the point - it didnt need spending and its only the refusal to admit the have made a monumental gaff that is causing this to be spent. Indeed the half solutions that they keep comign up with just keep compundign the issue.

 

Lets not forget. There was no congestion here when there was a roundabout and there were few accidents - unlike now where they have actually increased. There was an alternative for pedestrians (bridge) which by the way i use regularly

 

Tweaks perhaps was all it needed certainly not the money spent which will just need more money spending to fix it.

[disgusted]

isnt that the point - it didnt need spending and its only the refusal to admit the have made a monumental gaff that is causing this to be spent. Indeed the half solutions that they keep comign up with just keep compundign the issue.

 

Lets not forget. There was no congestion here when there was a roundabout and there were few accidents - unlike now where they have actually increased. There was an alternative for pedestrians (bridge) which by the way i use regularly

 

Tweaks perhaps was all it needed certainly not the money spent which will just need more money spending to fix it.

I was told that the reason that the change was triggered initially was becasue complaints were received about the unsafe crossing in the area when it was just a roundabout, and becasue of that complaint(s), and the council's written traffic management programme giving priority to pedestrians, action had to be taken to conform with that, and this also answers why we can't have a re-instatement.

 

As I pointed out, the fact that pedestrians have #1 priority at the expense of the majority goes against what most citizens actually want. By all means accomodate, but to penalise drivers is wrong, and it's the policy that is the issue here, which has lead to a 'hands tied' situation.

 

Another moan that was listened to was from some who took 20 minutes (allegedly ) to exit ladywood due to the constant stream of traffic north/south, so their egress had to be improved too. Now, never in my life have I been stuck in any roundabout for anything like that length of time, and certainly can't imagine that happening at the Ladywood exit where traffic was never that bad, if their claim was true and not exaggerated 10 fold (most likely) then they should be removed from driving completely, not have roads changed to accomodate their inability to drive.

[AdrianR]

Have you seen the new filter lane. It isnt even wide enough for a car. Also the pedestrian island being built will lose the right filer lane into Ladywood. So much for improving access to that.

 

We need a full extra lane from 20 acre to the lights. A box junction at the Asda entrance would help with a new Asda exit at the north end of the sire straight onto the red bridge roundabout. A longer filet lane southbound would also help. One bus and a few cars and you cant get through the lights straight on.

 

Timigns need to be much longer fro North - CSouth traffic as well simply to clear the volume. Letting Ladywood go at the same time as westbrook crescent woudl also help speed the flow up. The handful of exitign cars at Ladywood do not need their own cycle unless a pedestrian is there.

 

I crossed that junction at the weekend and managed to halt all lanes just to cross one limb.

[Bazj]

I crossed that junction at the weekend and managed to halt all lanes just to cross one limb.

 

Selfish pig!!

[disgusted]

Adrian, I'd agree with all of that. We'll just have to see if this 'improvement' makes any difference as it's done now.

[asperity]

Is this part of a bigger plan to create congestion on all Warringtons major roads thereby giving the council the excuse required to introduce a congestion charge. That would recoup the cost of the lights. Mind you do the council have the intelligence to think up such a scheme?

[virginian]

Where has all of the conjestion gone?? Don't tell me that the revamped junction has worked. Where has all of the criticism gone Fatshaft and wahl? It has cost a lot of money, but it now appears to be working. Thankyou for WBC for seeing that there was a problem, holding their hands up and for rectifying it.

[disgusted]

Where has all of the conjestion gone?? Don't tell me that the revamped junction has worked. Where has all of the criticism gone Fatshaft and wahl? It has cost a lot of money, but it now appears to be working. Thankyou for WBC for seeing that there was a problem, holding their hands up and for rectifying it.

They havn't finished it yet, I'm waiting for that and then we'll see. Of course people are now simply avoiding the junction completely, I certainly do, so that will help as well. Not too sure if Asda will be happy with that though?

[Peter T]

It might have been sorted, but don't we pay people to get it right in the first place after "proper" consultation?

I just hope the Tesco's bit works and removes another nightmare.

[disgusted]

Actually, I'm just going t go to Asda now, I'll report in later

[Bill]

Well I'll beat you to it. I've just been there today and my wife who takes little interest in such things actually asked me why they had put lights there because we never seemed to have to queue in the past. Thank goodness we don't have to shop there that often.

 

Bill

[disgusted]

Well I'll beat you to it. I've just been there today and my wife who takes little interest in such things actually asked me why they had put lights there because we never seemed to have to queue in the past. Thank goodness we don't have to shop there that often.

 

Bill

Ha, well I'm back now so for Virginian's sake I'll give tonight's report.

 

First off, why have the moans subsided? Do you think that could just be perhaps that we've simply given up? Despite the wishes of residents and drivers, we still get a change to a change that would not be needed if nothing was done in the first place.

 

With that in mind then, where are we now?

 

Well first bare in mind, there was never any congestion on any arm before the lights went in, except on the odd occassion that a bus was parked on the asda side bus stop.

 

So where are we now after the latest improvements?

 

1. From Asda, still queued right back into asda car park as it invariably is time and time again. No improvement

 

2. From Ladywood road. As ever no traffic, we do have the extra added expense of new pedestrian islands there now though to help people cross against the rare vehicle exiting from Ladywood.

 

3. From the south. Queues seemed shorter than of late from that direction, so the extra lane seemed to have helped.

 

4. From the north. Took two periods before I could filter rihgt from this direction, a problem that seems to be increasing, which begs the question if they've simply changed the timings of the north/south lights to put the queue from the north rather than the south?

 

 

So in summary Virginian, if work is now over, then no it hasn't solved a thing, it's still created a bloody mess where once there was none.

 

I hope that still gives you cause for a triple LOL? Personally I think it's a disgrace, but hpoefully a lesson has been learned that the headless nonsense that pedestrians & cycles must be put before the car regardless of all other considerations is a flawed and ridiculous piece of political posturing.

[Bazj]

Viginian,

 

turn your PC off and go and ask mummy and daddy if they are happy that almost a million pounds of their hard earned poll tax has gone in creating issues on a road junction where there were previously none.

 

I have to go through these on a few occasions every day and I too take the alternative route past seven woods now instead of the asda lights. So yes it has just moved the traffic elsewhere........

 

The pedestrian lights are an absolute waste of time because the majority of the pedestrians still run across the road in front of the traffic.

 

Just remember that councillors Earl and Long were in favour of these lights when it comes round to the next local election and get shut of the pair of them

[P J]

Where has all of the conjestion gone?? Don't tell me that the revamped junction has worked. Where has all of the criticism gone Fatshaft and wahl? It has cost a lot of money, but it now appears to be working. Thankyou for WBC for seeing that there was a problem, holding their hands up and for rectifying it.

 

Ian,

 

The traffic was bad at the odd time during Saturday with queues in and out of Asda. I live in Callands but usually go to Tesco on a Saturday instead of Asda so people are avoiding the lights. Its mostly bad at specific times so easy enough to avoid. For what has been spent i am certain a far better system could be in place than what we now have.

[Bazj]

For what has been spent i am certain a far better system could be in place than what we now have.

 

We could have paid for a traffic policeman to direct traffic 8 hours a day for the next 33 years with what has been spent (rough estimate of course but it is a lot!)

[RENT-A-GOAT]

Cycling southbound yesterday I had to turn right at these lights in order to get into westbrook crescent to get home.

 

The entire junction went through 7 or 8 phases before allowing traffic to turn right As such people were getting impatient and turning right regardless, despite having the rediculous "turn right only when arrow shows" signs erected I wouldnt mind but the rest of the junction was empty bar 1 or 2 cars!

 

When I looked back traffic was backed up beyond the roundabout because of this

 

So no virginian - it is still an absoloute c*ck up. Stop being a naive twit and open your eyes

[RENT-A-GOAT]

It might have been sorted, but don't we pay people to get it right in the first place after "proper" consultation?

I just hope the Tesco's bit works and removes another nightmare.

 

Yes - the removal of the bus lane will also be more profitable as Im sure they can now catch a few more speeding motorists with the gatso - not enough revenue from the odd speeding bus

[Bazj]

speaking of bus lanes; when are they going to get rid of that ridiculous one outside the peace ranch? No buses ever use it because they have to be in the outside lane to be in the right lane to get into town further up Sankey Way.... come on councillors, lets start a campaign to get rid of this one!!

[disgusted]

 

4. From the north. Took two periods before I could filter rihgt from this direction, a problem that seems to be increasing, which begs the question if they've simply changed the timings of the north/south lights to put the queue from the north rather than the south?

Just have to update my comment here for Virginian's sake. By mistake today (absent mindedly) I came back up through Cromwell rather than going via the A49 out of town. And of course traffic was queued up through twenty acre just as it always was, so no, there is no noticeable improvement, and if anything coming from the north has worsened.

 

Still, as long as you find it funny that near a million pounds has been wasted worsening traffic flow on a road/junction where previously there was no issue, then crack on.

[P J]

speaking of bus lanes; when are they going to get rid of that ridiculous one outside the peace ranch? No buses ever use it because they have to be in the outside lane to be in the right lane to get into town further up Sankey Way.... come on councillors, lets start a campaign to get rid of this one!!

 

I agree with you Baz it is a waste of time it being there as it is largely ignored by motorists anyway and should be removed.

[Paul Kennedy]

[quote name="fatshaft

Personally I think it's a disgrace' date=' but hopefully a lesson has been learned that the headless nonsense that pedestrians & cycles must be put before the car regardless of all other considerations is a flawed and ridiculous piece of political posturing.[/quote]

 

You'll get hate mail and the thought police visiting you for making comments like that.

[Paul Kennedy]

With regards to congestion, what you have to remember is that before you introduce a congestion charge , you first of all have to create plenty of congestion.