Like most traffic “experts” on the BBC, Prof Andrew Lewis failed to mention on the World at One (7.12.20) the role of traffic lights in producing congestion, and contributing to the premature death of 9 year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah. Will the coroner’s case review bring the government to book? Will anything change? As I wrote in 2007, traffic lights multiply emissions by a factor of up to 4. Since then I’ve discovered it is as much as 29 times.
Except for multi-lane intersections at peak times, replacing traffic lights with filter-in-turn would not only cut congestion and emissions by at least half, overnight, it would all but eliminate “accidents” and road rage, and save the public purse tens of billions annually.
It would also provide an interim compromise between people living on roads plagued by congestion and drivers frustrated by road closures.
