12 August - Traffic lights at night
Today’s newspapers report that several councils in London are thinking of
switching off some traffic lights at night to reduce delays and save
electricity. I suspect that may be a good idea.
Almost the only time I use my car is for a fortnightly late night trip to north
London. I used to return via Blackwall tunnel and with a clear road in the early
hours of the morning and observing all the speed limits the journey time was
entirely dependent on one’s luck with the traffic lights. None of them were in
Bexley but on a bad night they could add eight minutes to the journey.
After Boris Johnson reneged on his electoral promise to open Blackwall Tunnel
to two way working and then compounded his stupidity by closing it southbound
for six nights a week I’ve had to return home via the bridge at Dartford which
is a longer but faster route. At 1 a.m. there are just two sets of lights which
appear to be useless, both are in Bexley. The lights on the roundabout at the
junction of Thames Road, Northend Road and Perry Street (Slade Green) are a
minor inconvenience. I’ve been stopped there on about half my dozen journeys
over the last six months but only once to give way to another vehicle. All the
other stops were to satisfy the unintelligent controlling computer program.
However the junction of Queen’s Road and James Watt Way in Erith is something
else. Just once the lights went green as soon as I stopped there but on the
other eleven occasions I’ve been stuck on red for several minutes and never once
has anyone emerged from or go into the shopping area served by James Watt Way. What
else would you expect at one o’clock in the morning? Those lights really are a
waste of electricity. I imagine that as soon as councillor Craske realises that
switching off a few lights will help refill his expenses trough all sorts of lights
will be put out.