ANY plans to erect traffic lights at the junction of the A3 and B3002 Headley Road to relieve traffic congestion have been branded "a load of rubbish and waste of money". Grayshott Parish Council chairman Clive Slaughter was responding to a suggestion that the Highways Agency is thinking of the interim measure to keep the traffic flowing on the A3, ahead of completion of the Hindhead tunnel. "Frankly, the junction works perfectly well and there is no need to make any short-term interim adjustments prior to the completion of the A3 tunnel project. "At the moment, there is an informal arrangement that works extremely well at the present time, where people using the A3 are perfectly prepared to let northbound traffic to Hindhead filter in." And he added: "To think about it logically, to have an extra set of traffic lights prior to the Hindhead crossroads is bound to create a backlog of traffic on the A3 northbound and make it even slower than it is as present. "My recommendation is to leave well alone and don't waste the money and effort. He concluded: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Grayshott resident Alan Philpott said that the proposal came about after he had contacted the Highways Agency requesting that it repainted the worn out "keep clear" signs on the road after he was having difficulty turning right at the Headley Road junction with the A3. Mr Philpott said that in its reply, the Highways Agency, also mentioned the traffic light proposal, to which he too is opposed. "I just wish they knew what they were doing. I suggested making it a yellow-box junction before going to all the expense of traffic lights, or why not put notices up to say that in times of high traffic volumes, a one- for-one traffic system operates - as it already does?" But he believed that the Highways Agency probably wouldn't consult Buy in Grayshott, BIG, on its proposals any more than than the users of the junction and local residents. In a Highways Agency statement, a spokesman confirmed that traffic lights were being considered for the junction as a short-term measure. The statement said: "The recent agreement to fund the planned Hindhead major improvement, pending the Secretary of State's final decision, will relieve congestion and improve the quality of life for Hindhead residents, but the project will take five years to construct. The congestion at present requires that we take some action to try to alleviate the pressure in the short term, without producing the final improvements that will be constructed as part of the major scheme. The design of an interim improvement will depend upon many factors and we are currently still assessing the best option, one of which to signalise the junction of the A3 and B3002. "If a feasible option is identified, we will consult interested bodies such as the police, the local highway authority and relevant environmental bodies, as this section of the A3 is within an environmentally sensitive area."
