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It's a red light for traffic signal changes!
Wednesday 5pm THERE will be no alterations to the traffic lights at the Oxford Street/Queen Street/Willingham Road/Jameson Bridge Street junction in Market Rasen.
There have been continuing complaints from townspeople that since Tesco arrived in Linwood Road, the increased traffic has made it increasingly difficult for pedestrians to cross the road and for traffic turning right into Linwood Road to get across, causing traffic jams back into the town centre.
The town's county councillor, Burt Keimach, said the cost of 120,000 to modify the lights was prohibitve and that, at the moment, traffic flow is not sufficient to prioritise any change, including an all-red phase which would give pedestrians the chance to cross.
Lincolnshire County Council's Tim Clark, Senior Engineer - Traffic Signals, said: "A phase of lighting which would see all traffic stopped at a red light is not possible as this could in fact jeopardise safety for pedestrians, cause confusion for motorists and lead to traffic queues even when pedestrians are not crossing.
"An all-red phase is not nationally accepted by the Department for Transport as an approved method of control for pedestrians and consequently is not one we would wish to adopt in Lincolnshire.
"First of all, there is no indication to pedestrians that such a phase is in place or when it would start and end. Secondly, there is no approved method of manually calling such a facility, so it would stop all traffic automatically every cycle of the lights, whether it was required or not.
"This could lead to increased delays to vehicles, driver disobedience, and lacks the clarity provided by red and green man displays. The potential for increased delays would be significant, practically on busy race days and for seasonal coastal traffic journeys."
Area Highways Manager Steve Wiles added: "As this junction ages in the coming years, the opportunity to review it will arise and improvements to the original signalised layout could be considered, subject to money available in our Rural Priority budget funding, to introduce limited crossing improvements.
"The clearance periods at the junction were reassessed and increased in August to ensure that vehicles clear the junction and to assist pedestrians crossing the road."
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Weather for Market Rasen
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
