Faulty traffic lights in Arundel ‘putting lives at risk’

The signals on the stretch of the A27 by Arundel railway station have been out of action for three months and were replaced by temporary ones in August ­– which are also faulty.

According to Mr Brantigan, the temporary lights were installed six weeks after the crossing first broke down.

He said that every weekend for the last three weeks, the temporary lights had failed, causing traffic jams and putting pedestrians in danger.

Last week the lights had been stuck on red for some time, causing long queues and forcing drivers to continue despite the red lights. It’s a problem which the MP for Arundel and South Downs Nick Herbert has blasted as ‘absurd’.

Mr Brantigan said: “This morning they were out of action again. There is no safe way for pedestrians to cross the road without them. It is getting darker in the mornings and misty.”

Mr Brantigan said it was only a matter of time before there was an accident, and feared that those with children, people with disabilities, and the elderly would struggle to use the crossing.

He said: “I tried to cross when the lights were down a couple of weeks ago and had to stand and wait till someone flashed their lights to let me cross.

“It’s quite a busy crossing coming off the roundabout.”

He said there had been no explanation from Southern Electric or the Highways Agency about why the lights kept failing.

“All we want is a set of traffic lights that work,” he said.

Mr Herbert said: “There are no safe places for pedestrians to cross to access Arundel railway station. This stretch of the A27 is exceptionally busy and is hazardous for the most able-bodied person to cross.

“It is frankly absurd that this problem has taken months to rectify. The delay reflects badly on the Highways Agency, even if it is their contractors who are to blame.”

Mr Brantigan said that for a crossing on the main A-road along the South Coast of Britain between Portsmouth and Brighton to be broken for so long was unacceptable.

“If there were temporary traffic lights that worked it wouldn’t be too much of a problem,” he said.

He added that it ‘beggared belief’ that a national agency was not capable of operating a set of traffic lights.

According to the Highways Agency, the problem with the permanent signals is in the power supply, which can only be fixed by Southern Electric.

The company is due to set a date this week for the repair work to start.