Red light revolution
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
06/11/2008
Traffic lights in the borough are set to be rephased in a drive to get the borough moving again.
H&F officially has the most clogged-up streets in London - with a frustrating 7.6 million hours lost in traffic every year. The council has consistently lobbied Transport for London (TfL) for action on the better phasing of traffic-lights and improved north-south routes.
The council’s Deputy Leader, Cllr Nicholas Botterill, met TfL’s Transport Commissioner - Peter Hendy - earlier this year to explicitly call for the re-phasing of traffic lights as well as a series of other transport improvements.
It appears that this pressure has now paid off after TfL chiefs announced plans to improve traffic flow by re-phasing various lights across H&F.
In a report to the TfL board Mr Hendy said an average of two seconds of extra time on each cycle of traffic lights could be found. He also predicted that the new timings could be achieved “without affecting pedestrians”.
The RAC Foundation said the move was good news. Spokeswoman Elizabeth Dainton said: “Re-phasing traffic lights is long overdue as many signals in the capital have had their red phase increased and the green phase reduced over the years, causing increased delays for all road users, including buses.”
She said that re-phasing created a 'green wave' for vehicles where drivers are met by a succession of green traffic lights if they travel along major roads at the correct speed. It is also an ideal way to add capacity back into the system and reduce congestion without compromising safety.
Cllr Botterill said: “The council has been calling for the re-phasing of traffic lights to create a smoother flow of traffic without a negatively affecting pedestrians for a long time. When TfL have completed the re-phasing of traffic lights in H&F we hope to see an improvement in the flow of traffic locally.”
Repeated studies have proved that traffic congestion is a significant contributor to pollution as vehicles travelling at lower speeds have lower fuel efficiency and generate far more emissions than free-flowing traffic.
Cllr Botterill added: “By deliberately and in many cases needlessly phasing traffic lights to slow and stop traffic TfL has, in the past, created large numbers of stationary vehicles that pump out exhaust fumes at red lights. I am glad that they have reversed this policy and are now taking the sensible approach of easing congestion by re-phasing traffic lights.”
In a separate bid to ease traffic congestion in H&F, the council is also calling on TfL to axe the western extension of the congestion charge.
