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Silk Mills lights - why they turn red at night (From This is The West Country)
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Silk Mills lights - why they turn red at night
11:20am Wednesday 10th February 2010
HIGHWAYS bosses have responded to complaints from County Gazette readers about the traffic lights along Silk Mills Road in Taunton.
Several readers have written to Postbag asking why they are often red, even while there are no vehicles waiting at the junctions.
This week, a spokesman for Somerset County Council, which is responsible for roads, said: “Many traffic signals 'rest on red' at the quieter times of day, when there is little traffic around.
“As responsible designers, we can either encourage fast approach speed by specifying the signals on the main road revert to green, or for arriving vehicles at quiet times, we can prevent excessive speed, by reverting to ‘All Red’.
“When signals rest green in the absence of demands, this encourages speeding through the junction, with the obvious safety implications. In the absence of any demands, reversion to All Red shows drivers a red signal on their first view of the junction, and assists by containing approach speed, achieving a useful traffic calming effect.
“The aim is not to make drivers stop - just to contain their approach speed by holding the red until they are within the range of the vehicle detection. By achieving a reduction in approach speed, a significant safety benefit over the formerly common practice of resting at main road green is gained. This method of control has been shown to reduce traffic accidents and the severity of those that occur.
“When the first approaching vehicle is detected, a small delay may keep the signals at red, ensuring drivers decrease their speed. While forcing approaching vehicles to slow down, it should not significantly delay them and reduces excessive speeds through the junction.
“Drivers who regularly use junctions configured in this way can be seen to approach at a reduced speed such that they do not have to stop. However, drivers approaching faster arrive earlier, and have to slow down or even stop to wait for green. While there are a variety of minor variations in the timings, the principle has been in use for many years by many Highway Authorities throughout the country. Indeed, the County Council has used this arrangement at a number of sites within Somerset.
“At times of busier traffic flow, the signals will be receiving many demands and at these times, they will not reach the ‘resting state’ of All Red. It will only become noticeable when approaching traffic is intermittent.
“There is an additional benefit, that signals resting on All Red can service demands from any approach quicker, including pedestrians, than those resting on a particular approach. This actually reduces unnecessary stops and delays overall.
“Safety has to be our paramount consideration. This improved safety may mean, on occasions during periods of the day when traffic flow is light, it may be necessary to slow down. However, this potential minor delay of seconds has to be balanced against the beneficial safety improvements gained by using this method of control.”
Tell us what you think – a valid safety measure or a worthless irritant? Fill in the Your Say box on this page.
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Your Say YourWest Country
Micra, Henlade says...
12:44pm Wed 10 Feb 10
DonSeer, Taunton says...
12:51pm Wed 10 Feb 10
This is all just an excuse.
I've been frustrated myself at being stopped by a red light along that road when no other traffic is around.
I found out how it all works when this was mentioned at a council meeting (I was there about another matter later in the agenda..)
They use the system called Scoot to manage the lights and flow of traffic around the town. Tthey are specifically set to stop approaching cars to (as they say) make people stop. The reasoning is that people (apparently) speed up through each green light they pass thorugh "in case it goes red" which means the speed accumulates the more lights they pass through.
DonSeer, Taunton says...
1:01pm Wed 10 Feb 10
Is it *really* safer to stop a car on an empty road where there aren't any houses nearby where someone could easily run out to scare/rob/or threaten a lone motorist?
(Most people drive with their doors unlocked right?)
bemusedman, says...
1:59pm Wed 10 Feb 10
DonSeer, Taunton says...
2:22pm Wed 10 Feb 10
But you should also consider this happened at Silk Mills less than a year ago..
http://www.somersetc
ountygazette.co.uk/n
ews/4461225.Bishop_s
_Hull_sex_attack_acc
used__Latest/
gilesy25, taunton says...
3:05pm Wed 10 Feb 10
bemusedman, says...
4:23pm Wed 10 Feb 10
Hopefully you'll get caught running the red light or speeding and you'll have to face the consequences.
How self obssessed is that? "Whats the point in slowing me down?"
Red lights aren't just there to annoy YOU! They're there for a reason and like ILMV said, I'm not quite sure how you can fail to understand this. Are you really that selfish, that you think you can just ignore rules that hinder you?
gilesy25, taunton says...
5:05pm Wed 10 Feb 10
Selly, taunton says...
8:11pm Wed 10 Feb 10
"As responsible designers"
This monstrosity has a designer!!!!
I've approached the lights at 30-25-20-15-10mph and still have to stop so I think the detection device isn't working, also I've yet to see a pedestrian cross at the lights and as someone has already said once the lights go green most people then drive faster until they get to Bishops Hull or the Cross Keys roundabout.
tf1123, Taunton says...
9:33pm Wed 10 Feb 10
Why can't they just install a fixed speed camera? or an average speed check all along that road? surely this has to be cheaper than maintainng the traffic lights and keeping them working? and the lack of the traffic lights wouldn't affect the free flow of buses as they have a seperate lane which thy should be using.
gilesy25, taunton says...
9:44pm Wed 10 Feb 10
DonSeer, Taunton says...
8:24am Thu 11 Feb 10
the road isnt dangerous, and doesnt have a history of incidents. the only other camera in town was installed after a fatal accident.
the only incident thats happened there is maybe a few busted shocks from the ole days where people would yeeeeeehawwwwww over the level crossing 'jump'
joward, Norton Fitzwarren says...
8:45am Thu 11 Feb 10
somersetvoyager, Taunton says...
10:51am Thu 11 Feb 10
You've also got to remember that the designers of the Silk Mills Road junctions are ever so proud of their lovely computer-aided drawings when they stand back and admire them, and it keeps them in a job in a time of recession, but to keep going they need to find new junctions to create all the time, or redesign existing ones. The main aim is to keep on doing this until the entire road network is littered with lighting poles, signs and odd sections of colourfully-painted tarmac, and then after that is accomplished the intention is to start doing the same thing on the moon.
The_Shadow, Taunton says...
10:56am Thu 11 Feb 10
As the environment is the big buzz word at the moment, why are we having to slow down and speed up, using more fuel (creating more emissions). And why are the park and ride lights left on all the time!
souwesterly, Priorswood, Taunton says...
1:05pm Thu 11 Feb 10
I can understand the thought about people ‘rushing’ to get through lights but I can also understand people’s frustrations.
A the risk of what I’m saying being “taken down and used in evidence”, etc, I’d comment that more often than not, given a reasonably average traffic load, vehicles (me included) often travel down Silk Mills Road at around 40 mph. I don’t mean the odd rogue driver either….I mean all vehicles.
And the lights, as you head towards Cross Keys, are on a down-slope so it’s almost natural to gather speed as you approach them. So it’s quite common to see drivers having to ‘stand’ on their brakes when the lights turn red ahead of them for no apparent reason.
In town I believe that if you approach a set of lights in excess of 30 mph then they’ll quickly turn red – and then seem to keep you waiting….. You get the feeling that your details are being loaded into the ‘naughty boy’ file!!
So why can’t the lights in Silk Mills Road do the same?
If the traffic is cruising steadily and safely then the lights could be left on green but should the traffic (individually or as a whole) speed up, then the lights could be made to turn red.
Surely that’s a simple enough solution.
And while I’m writing – why on earth aren’t the lights for the access road into the industrial estate synchronised with the Bindon Road lights?
PS Has anyone ever counted the number of lights, signs, warnings, etc on those junctions?
There is an INCREDIBLE number of potentially confusing and often unnecessary signs – and lights.
As you say, somersetvoyager, if in doubt, put something up!
Selly, taunton says...
7:05pm Thu 11 Feb 10
At least the 'Designers' will have something else to do then.
Bonji, Taunton says...
9:39pm Thu 11 Feb 10
souwesterly, Priorswood, Taunton says...
8:36am Fri 12 Feb 10
So few people DO seem to care about ANYTHING in Taunton that the local authorities have complete freedom to'rule' us and change Taunton to their own design.
It's imperative that we collectively, should speak out our thoughts, concerns and requests - otherwise the whole town will become overrun with planning nightmares.
But then, if you don't care - join the thousands (millions?) of other apathetic people out there!
gilesy25, taunton says...
1:52pm Fri 12 Feb 10
Bonji wrote:Why comment if you don't care? Thats just stupid!
Who cares???
themadsheep, Taunton says...
8:08am Sat 13 Feb 10
Perhaps we could have a sponsored "switch all the lights off for a day"
gilesy25, taunton says...
11:41am Sat 13 Feb 10
blackmasquerade, Taunton says...
2:31am Sun 14 Feb 10
As I said a few months back on another thread, the main contributory factor of congestion within this town is not the number of vehicles but rather SCC’s deliberate attempts to slow traffic down. To claim lights turn red to slow traffic down is a weak justification I must say (and despite SCC’s claim, you have to stop as the loop is situated too close to the lights). Furthermore, I’ve noticed a similar effect with the lights at the junction with Mountway Rd as many a time I’ve been forced to stop, only to discover nothing has emerged from either of the side roads.
Once you finally get past the lights at the White Elephant P&R, why is there not a filter arrow to turn right into Bindon Rd? Time and again I have to stop at a red light when there is nothing coming towards me - anywhere else would have allowed me to turn on green but not here. Approaching the junction from the Cross Keys direction, why is there a traffic light to turn left into Bindon Road when a simple give way would suffice?
Another set of unnecessary lights can be found outside the former SCAT Annexe in Staplegrove Rd. What the heck’s that about? Often I have to stop for no reason (other than presumably, to slow me down), but why are there lights there in the first place and what makes this different to French Weir Ave, The Avenue, Bindon Rd and every other junction for that matter?
SCC treat us with contempt, believing we are totally incapable of thinking for ourselves. As I said, congestion is created by SCC just so they can claim there are too many vehicles. Get rid of many of the lights and the traffic will flow better but don’t hold your breath!
joward, Norton Fitzwarren says...
1:00pm Sun 14 Feb 10
Here's a really good suggestion for SCC that would help to recoup money lost in Iceland. Put Blackmasquerade in charge of traffic flow in Taunton, downsize the 'design department' and save us all a fortune. And when he has done this, in less time than it takes to make a cup of coffee, put him in charge of Project Taunton - we the people of Taunton are desperately in need of sensible planning, some of us have to make a living out of the people who drive into Taunton.
DonSeer, Taunton says...
11:57am Tue 16 Feb 10
It seems every move made is an attempt to kill off the town centre trade.
The Silk Mills Road junction with Bindon Road - one of the junctions affected
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ILMV, Taunton says...
12:15pm Wed 10 Feb 10
Anyway I live down that end of the earth and regularly have to use that stretch of road during off-peak times, I don't find the traffic calming measure an inconvenience, like the chap said in the car or on the bike, slow a little and the lights change before having to stop.
The problem I have with lights resting on red is that in some occasions (less frequently with the newer lights on silk mills) is that the sometimes fail to detect my motorcycle, meaning I have to wait for a car to pull up behind me or proceed cautiously through the red light.