Traffic lights on roundabouts poll

[Yorkie]

I wonder if it's the sequencing that's a bit out of kilter? I can think of places where without lights, chaos would reign, and places where lights are sorely needed.

I travel down to South West London from Hull several times a year. I have two options - the A1 or the M1. Now that all of the traffic islands on the A1 (that used to add half an hour to the journey), have been removed, I prefer the A1, in part because it's bristling with speed cameras, which I'm quite happy about because it seems to scare a lot of traffic into using the M1 instead, and I'm quite content to stay within the 70 limit wherever I am. The A1 is a more enjoyable route, and Peterborough Servies at the half-way point on the A1 are much nicer than anything on the M1.

Ideally, my preferred and most direct route would over the Humber Bridge, down the A15 to the A46 Lincoln ring road, then to join the A1 at Newark. That would be like travelling down the hypotenuse of a triangle. However, at the junction of the A46, traffic is heavy from the right, so cars coming down the A15 have to give way and are brought to a standstill - I've been stuck there for almost half an hour. Hence, I take a longer route along the other two sides of the 'triangle' of roads - along the M62 west, then the M18 south, to join the A1 south at Doncaster. Traffic lights at the A15/A46 junction at Lincoln would clip half an hour off my journey.

Then at Hanger Lane and Chiswick on the North Circular there are traffic lights at large islands, without which it would be hopeless, as those hitting the island from lighter traffic roads would struggle to get a look in. Being 'stuck in traffic' doesn't really bother me - I don't take the view that I'm 'stuck in traffic' because I AM traffic!

Drifting and rambling off topic, I must say that I always come home from London elated that I don't have to work or live there - I think it's a hell hole. I don't think I could ever get used to being in the flight path of Heathrow, (who isn't in London?), with planes going over every 40 seconds, so low that you can almost see the whites of the pilot's eyes. Always glad to get back home to lower prices, better service, 24 Hr supermarkets (not that I need them) and several 10-screen cinemas and excellent theatres - even stores such as B&Q Warehouses, and 'The Range' just 15 mins away, and where I don't need an expensive residents' parking permit to park on my own street (assuming I can find a space). Even the restaurants (some Michelin starred), and 'gastro-pubs' are better in this neck of the woods, and you can get a table, excellent service and don't need to take out a loan to pay the bill.

Having huge B&Qs might seem an irrelevance, but when I go to London, if I need something like a dimmer switch, there are two manky untidy litte B&Qs within an hour - one at Wandsworth, the other on the North Circular, each of which is poorly stocked and it's a struggle to park. The nearest large B&Q is Slough, near Heathrow. True, they do have those odd little shops here and there called Robert Dyas, a bit like the shop in the Two Ronnie sketch ' Got any 'O's?'

No wonder the internet gets a good hammering.

It was great to be down in London during the 2012 Ol**p*cs - the place was deserted. Not only were the 'Zil Lanes', (which had been reserved for Olympic traffic), open to all traffic, there were flashing signs stating: 'All Traffic Use Bus Lanes'. Knocked 45 minutes of the journey from Staples Corner round the North and South Cricular to Putney.

Rambled and dribbled Yorkie.