Permanent Congestion - Easy Fixes

[Liverpool Street]

Something I've been thinking about whilst travelling about today.

Permanently congested areas and of which you can remove the issue quite simply.

I mean, everyday, always congested. And most of the time it's the same reason.

I'm not talking about accidents causing delays, or roadworks, I'm chatting about the fact that, there should NOT be traffic causing delays at 11am or 2pm! Some are flow issues, some are incorrectly timed lights.

Naturally, I'll start with my local routes.



Pershore Road - 45 / 47

Markets [Upper Dean Street] - Of "Market Days" it isn't unusual to be stuck on that road for easily 10minutes.
Fix - Requires re-timing of the lights by Bull Ring car park with prioritisation for Moor Street main traffic, providing the Queensway isn't blocked with buses or cars, allowing more flow from the Markets and Upper Dean Street. The length of time the lights are on Green is correct for normal flow, however.

Belgrave Island - Seems to be an awful lot of traffic using the Pershore Road from the Ring Road, and that counts FROM Pershore Street and the start of Pershore Road.
Fix - You can't do a lot due to it filtering right the way down to one lane, and until regeneration of that area to make it two lanes like it was many years ago, [And hopefully an underpass for traffic direct to further along the Pershore Road] the only thing you can do is re-time the lights at Priory Road and on the Ring Road to allow more of a "Bulk Flow".

Dogpool Lane / Cartland Road - Tailbacks are the standard with badly designed junction at Dogpool Lane and poorly timed lights at Cartland Road. Bad In-Bound congestion of a morning due to right turning traffic into Dogpool Lane.
Fix - Credit where credit is due, I think AMEY have re-timed the lights and the usual congestion has diminished Out-Bound. To reduce the congestion due to that maybe an introduction with yellow boxes and possibly a new set of lights which operative in peak times. Or maybe an island instead of the poor "crossroads".

Stirchley - Need I say anything? Three Words. DOUBLE. PARKED. CARS. The only real "high street" of the Pershore Road and the congestion is disgusting - day and night.
Fix - Enforce the parking restrictions. It really is that simple. Either that or double red either side.

[45] Pershore Road South / Metchley Lane / The Green - Bad congestion of an afternoon, due to the busyness of The Green roundabout.
Fix - I think a bit of forward planning to allow a full double lane up to the Green island, and the lane should allow exits to Masshouse Lane from the first lane, rather then the second. Road is actually wide enough to allow 3 lanes.

[45] Longbridge Lane / Sainsburys - Again, usual tailbacks right up to The Jolly Fitter. Could require road widening as it's tight for wide vehicles to pass each other easily.
Fix - Prioritise the main flow rather then the turning right traffic; Incorrectly prioritised lights at the Sainsburys, allows Right Turning Traffic over the main flow FROM Bristol Road South, and the Longbridge Lane flow is stumped by quick changing lights. Same can be said for Lickey Road, with (AT THE MOMENT) pointless lights which probably should be switched off.



Bristol Road 61 / 63

City Centre : Horsefair Island / Hill Street - Seems like constant traffic heading In-Bound to the "new" entrance to New Street Station, causing back logs up to the Horsefair, and an unbelievable volume of taxi's causing serious queues.
Fix - Enforce the traffic laws and the refusal of allowing the taxi's to park in the road. So, this one is a traffic enforcement issue. 

Belgrave Junction & Priory Junction - Normal severity of traffic, not so bad in the daytime but it's a car park of rush hour.
Fix - Doesn't seem like much but I'm sure they've reduced the time of the Bristol Road flow to allow the ring road to flow better. So, re-time the lights so more of a block of traffic moves with each change.

Edgbaston Park Road / Selly Oak - Massive tailbacks up to and through Selly Oak.
Fix - Re-time the lights again, and enforce the parking restrictions in Selly Oak. Main target here is to keep the traffic moving, with priority to Bristol Road.

Northfield [The Black Horse Junction] - Traffic! Constantly!
Fix - Give more then 10 seconds on Green to Northfield high street & Frankley Beeches!

[61] Frankley Beeches Road Junct. Hoggs Lane - Backlogs of traffic due to no filter light.
Fix - Fit a right turn filter light to this junction to allow the "Straight" to flow.

[63] Bristol Road South [Various] - Traffic lights and awkwardly parked cars causing minor traffic. But always the same.
Fix - Enforce parking restrictions and allow a few seconds longer on green at each set of lights.



Now I wonder how many of these would be fixed with the "Gold Corridors". I hope many, but few be chosen.

Please discuss and add your own routes and issues here.

[the trainbasher]

226, 256, 257, 267, 657 Kingswinford and Wordsley

Build the Western Orbital Motorway

Around Russells Hall Hospital on all routes.

I've mentioned it at work putting double red lines but Dudley Council won't!

[x68]

Jaguar Land Rover Chester Rd Castle Vale
When the shift finishes I think all the cars should turn left onto Chester Road as when they turn right they block Chester Road and cause long queues

[wilmotm (Matt Wilmot)]

Yes, Russell's Hall hospital is a complete no go about 3 o'clock, visiting hours, cars parked illegally all over the place, and the ones trying to park legally blocking the entrance and the roundabout, the solution, well GRS travel have got it! Ask the passengers if they want the hospital, if not avoid it!

No seriously, there needs to be a separate entrance to the car park and bus station, must be doable

[the trainbasher]

@wilmotm (Matt Wilmot) at work we try and enforce the restrictions but it's the blue badge holders being there that foils it because they have up to 3 hours on double yellows. That's why I suggested making it a Red Route. That prohibits even blue badges stopping!!

[trident4370]

The traffic lights on Vicarage Road by the Red Lion pub, for the 11C and outbound 35 can be a nuiscance.
The problem is the Vicarage Road lights turn green at the same time in both directions but the SW bound traffic only gets a few seconds as most of the NE traffic turns right onto Howard Rd, so they need to keep the bit where it crosses clear to prevent the NE traffic queueing up waiting for cars to turn. The one time I actually counted the timings for SW-bound and they were on red for 95 seconds and green for just 9 seconds.
Solution is simple in my eyes, south-westbound traffic needs a green light for longer than a few seconds, particularly after 3 o clock or better yet their lights could go green 5 seconds earlier to give them more time, without making the queueing turning traffic on the other side worse.

The other obvious one that springs to mind LS has already mentioned, Selly Oak.

[monkeyjoe]

14 Alum Rock Road enforce parking restrictions and hope people don't riot again claiming discrimination like what happened back in the 90's  ::)

[notepanel]

I've always felt the Moor Street Bullring car park exit should be left turn only (towards Digbeth). Often I find traffic heading through the City is held up at the traffic lights at the Moor St/Park St junction and every time the lights at the pedestrian crossings at the top of the hill turn to green and traffic moves, the space created is filled up by cars leaving the car park. Then when the traffic lights turn green for cars going through City there is no where to move!

I would also split Digbeth & Moat Lane, so vehicles from town would not be able to loop round onto Moat Lane or Bradford St (vehicles requiring the Markets would be encouraged to use the Tunnels and access via Hill St/Station St.)  The only exceptions to this rule would be buses/coaches. Additionally, I would make the stretch of Bradford Street (between Mill Lane & Bradford St) towards City 'Buses & Coaches only'.  To compensate, the right turn filter turn from Digbeth High St onto Rea Street would need to be green for longer, which means traffic would be held slightly longer on Digbeth High St.

Of course, we only know specific areas well! My 'resolutions' for one area could be making an existing issue worse!

 

[nitromatt1]

Station Road, Hagley. It can take up to 20 minutes to get 300 yards at the start/end of school. The solution? Double yellow lines between the lights and the bridge to stop parked cars causing problems with buses trying to pass each other and tailbacks ensuing...

[Gareth]

Totally agree MonkeyJoe! Alum Rock Road needs serious parking enforcement.

[Liverpool Street]

Great issues and solutions here men! Keep them coming.

So is Alum Rock double yellowed on one side or what?

And reference my earlier post, it seems a source has said that Belgrave has no tailbacks anymore. I must travel at peak and experience this myself! (Cheers, you know who you are ;) )

[Stuharris 6360]

@wilmotm (Matt Wilmot) at work we try and enforce the restrictions but it's the blue badge holders being there that foils it because they have up to 3 hours on double yellows. That's why I suggested making it a Red Route. That prohibits even blue badges stopping!!

Is the red route enforced around Russells Hall though, it is a nightmare and having to travel there every day for the last 2 1/2 weeks has not changed my opinion of it. The car park to me was built in the wrong place, and as Trainbasher says when a lot of people are visiting the hospital, the traffic blocks the roads and at times the island to.

[Liverpool Street]

@wilmotm (Matt Wilmot) at work we try and enforce the restrictions but it's the blue badge holders being there that foils it because they have up to 3 hours on double yellows. That's why I suggested making it a Red Route. That prohibits even blue badges stopping!!

Is the red route enforced around Russells Hall though, it is a nightmare and having to travel there every day for the last 2 1/2 weeks has not changed my opinion of it. The car park to me was built in the wrong place, and as Trainbasher says when a lot of people are visiting the hospital, the traffic blocks the roads and at times the island to.

Similar to the issues with the New QE. Who ever thought a drop off / taxi / Disabled areas on both sides of a bus through road was a good idea is beyond me!

[the trainbasher]

@Stuharris 6360

The red route inside the hospital is enforced by a private firm, not the council, so I'm not sure on the level of enforcement they do.

The double yellow lines, and loading ban on the westbound carriageway, are enforced by my department (and my officers go down at least twice a day most of the time.)

I have also said why not make the current loading ban (which prohibits BB Holders from parking!) 24/7 and on both sides but I'm just a mere admin assistant!

[Tony]

Great issues and solutions here men! Keep them coming.

So is Alum Rock double yellowed on one side or what?

And reference my earlier post, it seems a source has said that Belgrave has no tailbacks anymore. I must travel at peak and experience this myself! (Cheers, you know who you are ;) )

Belgrave Road Junction flowed perfectly both directions again in this evening peak, shame that once you were over the lights out of city it was a bit slow, but that is one of the problems of traffic management. Just putting a set of lights on green for longer won't always help if there is no room the other side for the traffic to go into, it can end up blocking a juction and causing additional delays!