Who is "in charge" of traffic lights

Hootie19

I mean for phasings, or for repairs?

Is it the town council? The local authority? The highways agency?

Just pondering yesterday as I was sitting in a ridiculous traffic jam in town, caused by some new roadworks, which are scheduled to go on until November. One road, which joins the main road as a T junction is completely closed off. The traffic lights which allow traffic to turn into or out of this road are still operational, and if they were turned off, the traffic could flow much more freely. So who would be in charge of that decision?

Also, there is a pedestrian light-controlled crossing in town with one of those stupid pressure pad buttons to activate them.

1. You have to stand with your finger against the pad for at least 10 seconds for the "wait" light to activate (that's if it ever does - I have been known to give up and walk away before it ever comes on!),
and
2. the Wait light will go out at least three times before the traffic lights actually go red for pedestrians to cross. Who would be responsible for repairing these?

TIA

poppasmurf_bewdley

When I phoned our local council to complain about the timing of a set of traffic lights in Kidderminster, I was directed to a private company who had the contract for all aspects of the traffic lights in this area.

The council didn't want to know.

Just another example of private enterprise feeding off the council tax payers.

Mr_Thrifty

Try your MP.

colino

Even if the council have contracted out the work, they should still be able to tell you who that is and give a contact. Bearing all that in mind though and that a snotty little council underling began to give me a lecture on how all works are carefully planned and approved before commencement, it took the police this week to remonstrate with the highway contractors who were working on our village roads. They thought a blitz approach would be the best way, and undertook work on the three roads in and out of the village at the same time. As the temporary lights were unlinked in any way, it took about half an hour for all the roads to be so full of traffic that the green lights letting traffic in to the village were redundant, when it switched to green the roads were already full!
On the pedestrian controlled lights there was a piece on a documentary years ago about the traffic in Manhattan where scores of people dutifully lined up at crossings every day and people pressed the Xing buttons. (They might rob you and have a gun under their coats, but you rarely see locals jaywalking in the states). The City official actually laughed out loud as he explained those buttons weren't connected to anything and they simply gave the pedestrians something to do while the lights went through their sequence.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

i think its sagem , i see allot of their tranny vans at our village lights, but i think they highways department in you local coucil will survey the light and then pass the job over to them to be done.

kingstreet

IIRC "normal" roads are the responsibility of the local council's highways department. If they choose to contract-out that responsibility that's their affair. They still retain responsibility.

Trunk roads and motorways are the responsibility of the DoT's Highways Agency, who once again may sub-contract the maintenance.

verybigchris

It doesn't really matter who's in charge, because none of those agencies will listen to or care about comments from the general public. You'd have more luck getting a local councillor on your side and letting them do the work.

DCFC79

verybigchris wrote: »

It doesn't really matter who's in charge, because none of those agencies will listen to or care about comments from the general public. You'd have more luck getting a local councillor on your side and letting them do the work.

Really do agree with this, im in contatc with a local councillor and any issue i come across i let him know about it and he sees what can be done and so far he has delivere.

Buzby

I thikn you mean Siemens, however - lights phasing is invariably left to the contractors who run computer models for flow patterns. SOME lights are not linked, which can cause bunching issues, but I'd always start with be Council's roads dept, then take it from there.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

verybigchris wrote: »

It doesn't really matter who's in charge, because none of those agencies will listen to or care about comments from the general public. You'd have more luck getting a local councillor on your side and letting them do the work.

is this based on fact or your opinion?

either case i think your wrong, any issue with a traffic light or pedestrian crossing is a urgent issue that should be looked into within a 24hour period from the first report due to imposed risk to public safety.

im sure they work on a risk based system in these cases,

1. report recieved, from here within 24 hours a highways department agent looks into the report.

2. the report the agent determins what level of risk is imposed to the public, what measures can be placed as a temporary measure, or that its low level report and that they will keep monitoring the situation to see if there a work around in the near future to remedy it.

3.job passed onto the contractor for the coucil to action any emergency situation and equipment needed. i.e temp traffic lights, traffic light engineer to work on original failure or problem, or that a meeting is needed on site to determin what sequences would work better.

with regards to the temp traffic lights it will be down to the highways department inspector who is health and safety trained and holds a certificate of signs lights and guarding section 8 to to inspect, if its not upto standard or not managed properly the company will be told to down tools and sort the issue out or moved off the job and replaced, there will be a risk assessment held before works started and a plan of works of where things should be placed and what equipment will be needed this finalised risk assessment plan must be adhered to unless someone from highways have altered it because it failed in practicality but looked good in theory.

muckybutt

It goes to show the difference in councils, up here in Yorks my local council - East Riding respond to traffic light and street light faults either themselves or a contractor usually within 2 days.

York council again usually within 2 days for traffic lights, street lights are dealt with via Amey who the council redirect you to, they normally respond depending upon their work load within 5 days.