Salford’s busiest roundabout is to get temporary traffic lights. The signals will be installed from Tuesday February 21 at Worsley Courthouse to 'try to improve traffic flow', the council says.
The roundabout and the nearby Worsley Interchange take traffic from three busy roads and two motorway slip roads for the M60. The Worsley Courthouse roundabout alone sees nearly 14,000 vehicles pass through in peak times.
Now Salford council is to test whether traffic lights can help by giving drivers on each arm of the junction a fair chance of getting onto the roundabout and away to their destination. The trial could run for up to six months and will be closely monitored throughout, with lights being adjusted as required to get the best flow of traffic.
The lights will be placed on Worsley Brow, just south of where the M60 crosses the junction overhead and will be monitored through cameras and sensors in the roadways. After the morning rush, the lights will be activated if queues begin to build on Worsley Road (A572) and Barton Road (B5211) and will operate into the evening peak period before being switched off again.
The lights will briefly pause traffic from Boothstown, Walkden and the M60 slip road to allow vehicles on Worsley Road and Barton Road to safely join the roundabout. Coun Mike McCusker, Salford’s lead member for planning and sustainable neighbourhoods, said: “These roads and roundabouts were built when there was far less traffic overall and were never designed to cope with the volume of traffic they handle today.
“Remodelling work to manage a two percent increase in traffic due to the new RHS garden has helped but hasn’t solved the problem for drivers trying to get onto the roundabout from Worsley and Eccles. The new traffic lights should allow them to join the roundabout more easily and safely.
“The lights will be closely monitored and adjusted as needed but it may take a little time to match the sequencing to the best traffic flow. I’d ask motorists to bear with it while this trial beds in. Data will be collected throughout the trial to see what impact the lights have on traffic flow.”
If the trial is successful and data shows an improvement, the temporary lights could be replaced with permanent lights, subject to funding being available.
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