Shrewsbury commuter delays as car hits post and fault at traffic lights
Traffic chaos returned to Shrewsbury after lights at a busy roundabout on the A5 started to malfunction.
Problems first came to light last week when the traffic lights on the newly refurbished Emstrey Island became stuck on red.
The lights on the island were staying on red due to a cabling issue. Delays were reported stretching back along the A5 and on to London Road.
Although the problem was dealt with further problems have been reported this week for motorists trying to negotiate the new road layout.
The island underwent a multi-million pound reconfiguration and redesign and only reopened earlier this year.
This week the lights have been changing too quickly - again causing huge problems for motorists. Delays have been reported to stretch back as far as the Preston Boats roundabout on the A5.
It is believed that the fault has been caused by a power surge knocking out the timing sensors on the lights and returning them to a 'safe' default setting.
Highways England are now waiting for a specialist engineer to visit the site who will be able to reprogramme the lights to a more suitable change rate.
A spokesman for Highways England said: "The lights operate on a timed basis.
"At the minute they have transferred to a default system which mean they change more quickly than they should.
"We believe that a power surge has caused this to take place. It seems to have knocked the memory of the lights out of sync and they have reverted to a safe default setting.
"They are now running on a timed basis making it take longer for drivers to go through the junction. We are waiting for a specialist engineer to visit the site who will be able to rectify the situation.
"At present they are operating in a safe mode. The lights are working but it is a bit of an inconvenience at the moment." Meanwhile, traffic was also delayed today after a car hit at lamp post on the A49.
The accident happened at 8.32am at Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury and left the Hereford Road partially blocked at Burgs Lane. Traffic coming from the direction of Condover was also delayed. Shropshire Fire and Rescue attended the scene and made the car safe. No one was injured in the accident.
