The aim of the Council is to prevent congestion and pollution from getting worse.

Traffic signals are used to improve safety and traffic movements. They can also help pedestrians and cyclists cross the road in safety and provide better priority for public transport.

What the Council will do

Any problem you report will be investigated.

If it is a fault with an existing installation it will be put right as quickly as possible.

If it is a request for an alteration to an existing signal, the effect on other users of the junction will have to be considered.

Simple changes such as altering the share of green time (the time lights show green) can sometimes be made easily but where alterations to the layout are concerned this will have to compete for available money.

A request for a new set of signals will be assessed to see whether signal control is the best answer to the problem. In general the following factors will be taken into consideration:

• Side road traffic volume
• Delay to side road traffic
• Has the junction had more than 1 injury accident per year averaged over the last 3 years
• Speed and volume of traffic on the main road
• Visibility from the side road
• Number of pedestrians and cyclists crossing the main road
• Nearness to other signal controlled junctions
• Engineering feasibility and cost  

Do you think there is a problem?

If you are a driver, do you use a junction without signals where you have great difficulty getting into the main road traffic stream?

If you are a pedestrian or cyclist, do you have great difficulty crossing the road?

Are you aware of any traffic signals, pedestrian or cyclist crossings that are not working correctly; are there unusual delays to drivers or pedestrians or is the green time very short?

Does the time you have to wait seem much longer than for other users?  Remember that to give more green time to a particular approach means less for someone else.

You can help the Council by identifying where and when the problem occurs. We will then be able to assess the extent of the problem.

You can help by reporting any fault via the contact details shown below.

If you have to drive you can help by starting your journey earlier or later to miss the heaviest congestion, or by sharing your car with someone else. You can also help by assessing any problem you might wish to raise with the points set out on this page before approaching the Council.

Some facts

There are approximately 45 sets of traffic signals at junctions in the Borough and 106 pedestrian and cycle crossings.

In urban areas, junctions limit the capacity of the road network. No matter how well designed the traffic signals are, their capacity to handle ever-increasing traffic volumes is limited and there is little scope for wholesale improvement.

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