"As regards the traffic lights at Leopold Street and Albert
Street, the lorry drivers and those in high cabs can’t see the lights at all
because of the baffles that are shielding them. All they see is a blank face,
they can’t see if they are green or whatever colour."
A Gurn reader contacted us with reference to the lights too, he said that he also has difficulty seeing what colour they are at and he drives a vehicle only slightly higher than the average car. This correspondent had also phoned Bear during the recent hold-ups and told them there was a problem with the lights. He says they told him at the time that the lights had been checked and were working correctly. He says a written reply contradicts this and concedes that power outages were to blame. Copy of the letter received by our regular reader from Transport Scotland here.
There was another issue raised at the Subbies meeting in the Academy from the lorry driver's viewpoint: Dick said these regular users of the A96 are horrified at the risks some motorists take as they draw away from the Moss-side Road traffic lights and pass in front of Lorries on the trunk road..
I had no idea that the shades were to help lorries. I drive an ordinary car and have braked before now when approaching some on the lights as I have been unable to see anything, assumed they weren't working, but at the last moment saw that they were at green.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I'm not the only person who's also seen vehicles apparently ignore a set of lights and just drive through, there's so many it's not hard to do, I've nearly done it myself.
We've suffered the lights for many months now but I tend to think they're dangerous and will lead to an accident. There seems to be constant issues with syncing which leads to impossible tailbacks through the town. Time for reappraisal?
I mentioned this issue on another traffic lights post on here a week or so ago, and said how dangerous and stupid these shades are on the lights.
ReplyDeletethey need to be removed before there is a serious accident, how stupid and what a waste of money.
neilscot
What was the original purpose of these shades? My understanding from your blog is that it affects high vehicles more that cars rather than helping them. Do we know the purpose why they were installed..
ReplyDeleteanother very dangerous bit of road is under the bridge in cawdoe road,cars just do not slow down,or stop when others have a right of way,its the most stupid piece of road calming ,thought up by even stupider road officials,there will be a major accident there,and dont say you have not been warned
ReplyDeletenarook.
This is a repeat of an earlier Gurn.Can the Gurn bring the one I entered then and the subsequent Gurn which listed "All the powers that be who are involved".
ReplyDeleteIn short BEAR were advised by an optometrist living in Nairn some time back that they were not able to be seen, They checked and concurred he was right and noted all the lights he had advised were a problem, from there on Bear said it was a Sainsbury problem and their sub contractors!!
Sheena's pervious comemnts are on this thread here.
ReplyDeleteTransport Scotland and Bear are reviewing the situation! They installed these slatted shades (aka louvres) because they had reports about drivers seeing the lights change and move forward, not realising that it was the 2nd set that had changed and that the first set was still at red.
ReplyDeleteI have raised all the issues expressed here and at public meetings and I hope that they will talk with local police and make an improvement.
Colin