From Maarten Herman, Merstone:

Having used St Mary’s roundabout for many years now, it is clear how well this roundabout works (especially when compared to neighbouring Coppins Bridge, where we all have to endure mindless waiting as traffic lights slow down every potential for the roundabout to do what it is meant to do).

If drivers don’t know what to do at a roundabout we should be wondering what they are doing behind the wheel rather than punishing us all with traffic lights across the Island.

We should be learning from what works (eg the roundabouts in Milton Keynes which work like a treat) versus what clearly does not work (eg the constantly gridlock of traffic chaos due to the vast number of traffic lights in Southampton). We really do not want this new traffic light scheme proposed by the council. The problems with traffic lights are manifold (expensive; environmentally unfriendly due to excessive engine idling etc) as already described in the County Press and elsewhere.

Island residents are dismayed by this scheme and don’t want these traffic lights, particularly as the roundabout functions really well as it is. While traffic lights can be useful for roadworks or in rare occasions for junctions where a roundabout may be impractical, the vast majority of traffic lights on the Island are completely unnecessary, slow, and often duplicated and their use as such is very much yesterday’s technology.

Traffic gridlocks will also frustrate the tourists as they would rather be at the beach than sit in traffic jams everywhere; and is likely to encourage drivers of illegal usage of their mobiles, etc. out of sheer frustration and boredom from all the mindless waiting.

We all know that time is money, what is the justification of all this time/money wastage?  The delays we currently experience further up the road at Northwood (which admittedly, are unavoidable), give us however a foretaste of the guaranteed widescale longterm misery that awaits us if this B&Q traffic light system is indeed going ahead. 

Please don’t try to “fix” that which isn’t broken. Have your vote on: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/7PJCG7H before it is too late.