It is a shame that the potentially divisive issue of installing traffic lights at Woodmill is being resurrected in an attempt to garner votes at the forthcoming election. Installing lights will, in fact, make things worse for locals and commuters – argues local resident Dr Ian Thomas.

Some people continue to be mislead into thinking that traffic lights will improve matters at the Woodmill crossing. They will not.

Both Traffic Flow and Accident Reports for Woodmill indicate that traffic flow has remained relatively constant at about 10,000 vehicles per day for the last 20 years, with or without traffic lights, because the bridge is effectively a section of single-track road with passing places.

The City's own Traffic Management officers advise that lights would actually reduce traffic flow, thereby increasing journey times, queue lengths and pollution levels.

Locally conducted research also shows that the current give-and-take system adapts quickly to changing demand, easily managing to deliver twice the volume in one direction than the other, and able to reach a 'free flow' state within 30 seconds of a queue clearing from one side or the other.

Importantly for pedestrians, cars are discouraged from speeding across the bridge, as they need to give way to the cars they meet in the middle. It is accepted that when drivers keep their speed below 20mph, they keep eye-contact with pedestrians, and accidents are avoided. This is what happens under the current system, particularly at busy times.

So the current system is safe, efficient and in line with current best practice.

If lights were to be installed, experience shows that cars speed over the bridge and jump lights after they have turned red, endangering pedestrians and delaying the queue at the other end, who have to wait on green.

Local government finances are very tight, yet installing lights would cost the council well over £100,000, and would only make matters worse. The final cost might turn out to be more than twice that much.

Lights would mean that:

• Commuters would actually take longer to get to, and from, work
• Traffic queues would be longer
• Pollution levels would be higher
• Pedestrian safety would be compromised by speeding cars and vans

Not only would traffic lights cause greater congestion on the bridge, they have in the past also caused significant congestion at the junction of Woodmill Lane and Swaythling High Rd causing inconvenience to thousands more people every day.

Given our increasing understanding of the impact of vehicle pollution on health, installing lights would fly in the face of the Council's own transport strategy to encourage the development of cycling and walking and attempt to reduce congestion and traffic volumes.

Having candidates raise this issue does a disservice to their electorate, as it has been established for some time that traffic lights will make matters worse. I encourage voters to consider the facts before supporting such a counter-productive idea.

Ian Thomas