"Residents' battle for traffic lights reaches EIGHTH year"

[dutchman]

Angry residents in Longford say they are still waiting for traffic lights to be installed at a traffic blackspot after broken promises from the city council.



Campaigners say they have been calling for council chiefs to put in safety measures at the junction of Oakmoor Road and Longford Road for the past eight years and still nothing has changed.

This is despite Coventry City Council twice giving them dates for work to begin and then going back on their word, they claim.

The issue was raised once more by residents at a meeting of the cabinet member for public services, Coun Rachel Lancaster, as they handed over their latest petition calling for traffic lights at the busy junction.

In response to the criticism, Coun Lancaster has approved a “holistic traffic management study” to be undertaken with the results expected back in front of the cabinet member within six months.

It was also revealed that a decision to install traffic signals at the junction was agreed in January 2012, subject to the availability of funding.

This did lead to a scheme being included in the 2014/15 highways and transportation capital programme.

Lonnie Downes, chairman of the Longford Community Action for our Neighbourhood, has been among those fighting for traffic lights to be installed over the last few years.

He said: “We called for that meeting with the council as we are concerned that they have reneged on this issue for eight years.

“We are also concerned where the money allocated for Longford and this junction before has gone to.

“I have been to the information commissioner about it before and got an unsatisfactory answer and I did question it at the meeting and they have said that it is apparently still on the table.

“But we have been given two dates before for this work and they have gone past and we aren’t happy with the council.”

[rebbonk]

Coun Lancaster is a waste of space.

That is a nasty junction and could be made a lot easier but I won't hold my breath for the useless Coun Lancaster to do anything about it: it only requires common sense which she appears to lack.