A councillor has written an open letter to Worcestershire County Council calling for clarity after ‘unnecessary congestion’ was caused by temporary traffic lights in Stourport.
The letter has been sent by Stourport Town Councillor John Beckingham (Conservative, Arekey King East) to Cllr Tom Wells, cabinet member with responsibility for highways and transport at Worcestershire County Council.
It comes after motorists faced what Cllr Beckingham has described as ‘unnecessary congestion’ and long delays caused by temporary traffic lights in the town.
These delays were exacerbated when temporary pedestrian crossing lights on Gilgal developed a fault that caused them to be stuck on red, leading to severe congestion.
This fault has since been repaired by National Grid.
In the letter, Cllr Beckingham calls for clarification from Worcestershire County Council on how the council determines when temporary traffic lights are necessary, how the potential effects on surrounding roads and wider traffic flow are assessed, and how the council monitors arrangements and intervenes when delays appear ‘excessive’.
He said: “I am writing to ask how Worcestershire County Council ensures that temporary traffic lights are necessary, proportionate and managed in a way that minimises disruption.
“I fully recognise the importance of roadworks and the need to protect workers, pedestrians and motorists.
“However, I am concerned that some traffic management arrangements appear to cause disproportionate disruption, and that other less disruptive alternatives should be considered.
“A recent example was on the Gilgal in Stourport-on-Severn, where roadworks had narrowed the road to a single lane and temporary traffic lights were also in place, apparently to facilitate pedestrian crossing.
“The lights appeared to remain on red, contributing to significant congestion across the town.
“There may have been safety considerations that were not immediately apparent, but it raises a reasonable question: was this the most appropriate arrangement, and could the same objective have been achieved with less disruption?”
A Worcestershire County Council spokesperson said: “These urgent works on Gilgal were undertaken by National Grid, due to a high-voltage cable fault.
“As the works were emergency repairs, they needed immediate access to the highway and could not be planned in advance like routine works.
“We are aware of the open letter from Councillor Beckingham and will respond to this in due course.”
