Tony Arbour says it could save millions and ease delays
Turning off traffic lights in Chiswick from midnight for six hours will slash emissions, wasted fuel and delays according to Tony Arbour the GLA Conservative Assembly Member for Hounslow, Richmond , and Kingston.
He says that lights could be turned off between midnight and 6 am with motorists stopping and using their discretion to give way to others.
"Traffic lights are vital for safely managing the flow of great volumes of traffic on busy roads during peak times, but studies show that during quiet periods, they cause delays while providing no safety benefits. Most of Chiswick’s drivers and cyclists can relate to waiting at a red light late at night where the roads are empty", he said.
The solution is to turn off those traffic lights between midnight and 6am, ensuring motorists from all directions stop and use their discretion to give way to other drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.
According to Mr. Arbour this system has been shown to be safe, has been used in Europe and America, and has even been trialled successfully in parts of the UK.
"If we turned them off during the 6 quietest hours of the night we could save 53 minutes per junction per night."
Implementing this at suitable junctions – not at pedestrian crossings or major junctions – could save over 2,000 hours of idling per year, which equals a savings in time and fuel of more than £10m, he claims.
"Transport bosses should greater prioritise the value of Londoners time, especially when drivers spend 170 million hours a year sitting in traffic. This could slash millions of hours of emissions and put an extra £40m in driver’s pockets by 2020."
November 3, 2014