Forum Topic

Those traffic lights outside The Italians

Does anyone have any idea what they are supposed to achieve?It sort of "looks like" they should only really turn red if a bus is coming up the bus lane past Halfords, so it can get through the next set of lights at the junction without getting stuck in traffic. But they just seem flick onto red all the time - bus or no bus - and stay on red forever. Is this just something else to do with making CHR impassible for cars  Or are they going to be fixed at some point and hooked up to some sort of black box in the buses cabs?

Tim Porter ● 2018d14 Comments

The only thing they seem to achieve is to increase the amount of traffic queuing to get into Chiswick from the west, M4, etc. As someone who has to make this journey a lot, I am extremely frustrated by the addition of these lights - I used to use the left filter to turn into Acton Lane, and now have to sit in traffic for twenty minutes or more to make the same turn. And, of course, this is extra pollution, particularly for the various cafes and restaurants along that side of the High Road.Madness. I really hope the whole lot is removed quickly - as we come out of lockdown, and people are getting back to work, the negative effects of all these ridiculous measures is really being felt.

Mark Edwards ● 2018d

Completely agree and have been wondering the same thing!! There seems to be no logic in how they are used (red/green/bus/no bus).

Kim Ouzman ● 2018d

The other problem is, if you want to go left at the junction towards Chiswick Park station, if there are already cars waiting to do this turn, you end up blocking the junction that allows cars to go straight on!  Plus the buses have to pull across to continue down Chiswick High Road.It is an absolutely useless junction that surely cannot serve any purpose other than to cause massive traffic q plus increased pollution!

Carol Burge ● 2017d

Even before the current arrangement this has long been a problematic junction. Buses (none of which turn left) had to make their way out of  the bus lane before it became left turn only. Other traffic meanwhile had to occupy the ahead only lane until the last minute because the lane they need to get into in order to turn left was buses only! There has to be a better solution to channel traffic into the correct lane. The bus gate certainly doesn't seem to be working.

Bruce Hammal ● 2017d

They seem to be designed to manage the number of cars in the centre of Chiswick. If they weren't held there then there would be queueing traffic in the main shopping distance and the optics of this next to the cycle lane would be bad.If you are approaching Chiswick from the A4/M4 at Chiswick Roundabout and intend to go up Acton Lane, it is now normally better to turn left up the North Circular and rejoin Acton Lane via Bollo Lane.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 2017d

How much effort is put into checking out the feasibility of these expensive measures, before they’re introduced?  I’m assuming people are paid a good salary for their expertise, why are they getting it so wrong?

Maggie Dodge ● 2017d

The bus gate just underlines the insanity of the 'temporary' CS9 (as there is no funding in place today to upgrade to the original version).The bus gate was not in the original plan as it wasnt needed Its sole role is to throttle back traffic from the central High Road so TFL and Tom Pike can claim that CS9 does not cause congestion. In doing so, it creates long queues and also diverts traffic either down onto Wellesley Road (the route of CS9) or from the A4 up Heathfield Gardens. Most times of the day Google Maps does not give the option of CHR for traffic from west or south west. This means vans and lorries are using minor residential roads.The long red time at the bus gate for none bus traffic, combined with the shorter left hand filter lane, has cut by more than half the capacity at this eastbound junction. The left turn filter as a result is almost redundant, previosly it would fill with left turn traffic and help increase junction capacity. Now it largely sits empty as traffic cannot reach it.There are many more homes and flats built along the High Road, a new block almost finished right opposite the new queues. How wonderful for them. I am sure while many of the lobbyists are enjoying their quiet little roads, other people it seems just need to suck it up (the pollution that is).Bruce, the left hand filter lane was never buses only, there was some confusion when the bus gate was installed but before the lights were active. The left filter was longer as it went back to where the bus gate is now. As someone who at times almost daily has been through this junction on both bus and car I would never descibe it as problematic, it functioned very well apart from when traffic queued back from Chiswick roundabout with buses often choosing to sit in the middle of the yellow box and block all traffic.If you object, email TFL, the streetspace consutultation is still on. They are intentionally creating queues and pollution and even more astonishingy diverted traffic off a main road onto a series of residential roads. There has already been one serious accident at the junction of Wellesley Road and Marlborough Road, and more will follow.

Paul Green ● 2017d

Paul my comment about the junction predates the current C9 situation . Like you, back then I used this bit of the High Rd daily. There was usually a backlog of traffic caused by vehicles wanting to turn left but unable to get into the left-turn lane because it was still buses only, while the buses which had zoomed down from Chiswick Roundabout had to edge out (or more often force their way out) of the bus lane in order to carry on down the high road. The aggro was usually caused by drivers who took their chances and just used the bus lane from beyond the point at which the queue started. I always thought the simplest solution would have been to end the bus lane much  earlier in order to give over more space to the left hand filter rather than have to let cars and buses swap lanes at the last minute. Tricky as it was in heavy traffic it was sweet and simple bliss to navigate compared to this dog's dinner.

Bruce Hammal ● 2017d

sooner or later traffic volumes will return to something like pre pandemic levels and when it does the traffic will be backed up halfway down the M4.Don't worry, I have no doubt these will be removed as the rest of the CHR changes once the buses confirm the high road is impassable!

Craig David Mcdowell ● 2017d

I don't think eastbound buses have to pull into the outer lane, because 'buses only' can use the left hand lane to go straight on. With hindsight, building a public road through the Business Park would have relieved some of the congestion at these traffic lights and along the residential bit of Bollo Lane. Could still be done!

Peter Evans ● 2017d

I'd like to agree with your second point. Craig, but this would require both common sense and a willingness to listen to the concerns of  Chiswick residents, two factors which have been notoriously absent from LBH's street planning so far.

Colin Jordan ● 2017d

They get paid a good salary but they are not experts by any means. Councillor Kahn's real job is a Radio DJ/Host, which why Chiswick is such a mess.

Rahman Hyatt ● 2017d

I have no faith they’ll pay any attention to Chiswick residents. It’ll take the inability to navigate the high rd by public transport that will force the change.

Craig David Mcdowell ● 2017d

Let's hope so.

Colin Jordan ● 2017d