§ Mr. Greg KnightTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what1134W guidance he gives to local authorities and to elected mayors on the timing sequence of traffic lights on trunk roads to ensure that congestion is minimised. [59107]
§ Mr. SpellarI have been asked to reply.
The Highways Agency issues advice on the safety-related timings for traffic signals. These are contained in their Design Manual for Roads and Bridges.
§ Mr. Greg KnightTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will take steps to introduce during non-rush hour periods traffic lights which have a light vehicle flow which are switched to show only a flashing amber light in each direction. [59184]
§ Mr. SpellarI have been asked to reply.
We do not think this is appropriate. A short flashing amber stage is already used at Pelican pedestrian crossings and has a specific meaning—if there are no pedestrians on the crossing the driver may proceed with caution. The same signal sequence cannot safely be used to indicate a different message.
The adoption of this proposal could confuse drivers and increase the likelihood of accidents at junctions, particularly those where the visibility of crossing traffic is limited, for example, by difficult junction geometry.
It is believed that the flashing amber sequence was introduced in the USA to help counter the inherent inefficiencies of fixed-time signals, particularly at off-peak times. As most traffic signals in the UK are traffic responsive, there would be little if any improvement in efficiency from adopting this proposal because our traffic signals are able to respond to varying traffic demands without compromising road safety.