03 Nov 2023
Major changes are promised for one of the most pedestrian-unfriendly junctions in the district.
Crossing the street where Marlborough Road meets London Road is a case of putting your life in the hands of the motorists who frequently take the bend as if they’re at Silverstone, ignoring the families with small children waiting to cross, or cutting behind them in their impatience.
This is despite changes to the Highway Code which mean motorists “should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning”, and “MUST give way to pedestrians on a zebra crossing”.
But now Herts county council is planning to install traffic lights at the junction as part of a major investment into new walking and cycling improvements along Upper Marlborough Road and Marlborough Road.
These will add to the lights already operating nearby at the junctions of Lattimore Road and Holywell Hill, but risks creating further congestion in London Road.
The scheme will also involve installing a southbound cycle lane between the junctions of Victoria Street and New Kent Road, to ensure safer, more convenient journeys by connecting to the cycle route at Keyfield Terrace.
This will require removing the dedicated right-turn lane at the junction with Victoria Street in order to provide space for a cycle lane.
But are traffic lights really going to make a difference when so many motorists are jumping the red at existing junctions across the city?
The lack of any enforcement cameras or police action means there is very little risk of repercussions for those drivers who flout the law, so are traffic lights really the answer at this junction?
Phil Corrigan, manager of The Maltings Shopping Centre, is not convinced about the viability of the scheme: “Another set of traffic lights within a hundred yards from Watsons Walk lights seems excessive. Surely both the Peahen and Watsons Walk lights will allow breaks in the traffic. It would be interesting to see the statistics of who uses this junction – pedestrians, motor vehicles and cyclists – surely a zebra crossing would suffice? I have also heard that the overall cost will be in excess of £400,000.”
Council leader Cllr Chris White is more positive however: “This is part of the Active Travel Scheme and has been around for a while. It has proved so far one of the more popular bits. There need to be significant improvements to the Watsons Walk junction to make that run more effectively.”
