LONG traffic queues and slow-changing lights have made drivers in Lindford see red and many are jumping the lights at the fire station crossroads.

Lindford Parish Council is urging highways engineers to change the timings of the traffic lights to remedy the potentially dangerous situation.

The calls were sparked by a complaint from a Lindford resident who goes to work via the traffic lights at 5 am.

He told the parish council that he has to wait a long time for the lights controlling traffic from the village to turn green - despite the fact that there is no traffic from any of the other three directions.

The council agreed that the situation was unacceptable and that the solution was a change in the timings of the lights.

Andrew Keen said: ÒThe lights have obviously been tweaked to give more priority to traffic coming from the Oakhanger road, but that is ridiculous because very few cars come from that way. They need to be tweaked back.Ó

District councillor Yvonne Parker-Smith agreed and said that she believed the problem was getting worse.

She said: ÒI canÕt believe how far back the traffic queues come. They are all the way back to Broxhead. Very little priority seems to be given to people coming from this direction.Ó

Joe Davis said that the problem was compounded by Hampshire County CouncilÕs decision to ban right-hand turns at the Broxhead junction with the A325.

This means that all traffic heading north on the A325 must travel through the fire station crossroads.

He said: ÒThey have not got it right since they closed Broxhead. In fact they have not even come close to getting it right; the queues are regularly way past Broxhead.

ÒThey change so quickly, so only between five and seven cars can get through before they change again.

ÒUnless you are quick off the mark you get stuck. People are going through red lights because they are sick of waiting.Ó

Eric Birkett said that the queues were also made longer by the fact that traffic turning right blocked the short left-hand lane, meaning that many cars are queuing unnecessarily.

ÒYou cannot get into that left-hand lane at all to turn towards Bordon,Ó he said. ÒWhat we need there is a filter lane.Ó

Councillors agreed to write to highway engineers and ask them to examine the problems at the fire station crossroads.