SIR – Last year Hertfordshire Highways held an exhibition about the A1081 London Road problem junction with Milehouse Lane and St Vincent s Drive at a meeting room in St Albans Fire Station which I attended. They displayed a number of diagrams showing the

SIR - Last year Hertfordshire Highways held an exhibition about the A1081 London Road problem junction with Milehouse Lane and St Vincent's Drive at a meeting room in St Albans Fire Station which I attended. They displayed a number of diagrams showing the location of the recorded accidents and of possible solutions.

I have to say that these lights, which I use frequently when travelling to and from St Albans and London Colney, are generally good, responding to traffic flows with alacrity.

The problem seems to be that to cope with the off-set junctions of Milehouse Lane and St Vincent's Drive with London Road, there are in effect two overlapping sets of lights to control the traffic flow. This is apparently not appreciated by many drivers. The result is that traffic moving either way in London Road, or issuing from either of the two side roads when turning left into London Road, passes in effect two sets of lights.

The transit between the two sets of lights takes several seconds and therefore a driver can pass one set at green but be faced with a change to amber as they reach reach the second set of lights. Some motorists stop and those behind them don't because they expect to pass through the whole junction having seen a green light when they enter it. Result: one accident!

It is this failure to allow drivers to pass through the whole junction without facing a changing signal which is, in my opinion, a cause of many of the accidents recorded by the authorities. The cure is simple: program the second set of lights that drivers meet to hold the green light for five to second seconds longer that the first set so that drivers can clear the whole junction and not be faced with the alternatives of either passing a changing light or being hit in the rear. Yet when I proposed this solution to Herts Highways people at last year's exhibition it appeared to be rejected out of hand although the argument for doing so seemed to lack detail and conviction!

JOHN WEBB

Meadow Close, London Colney

SIR - Re: traffic alterations at the Mile House Junction. I am a resident in London Road, near to this junction and as I use it at least four times a day and have done so for eight years, consequently crossing it in all directions well over a thousand times, I may be forgiven in suggesting that I may be an expert!

I attended the public meeting at which the various possibilities were aired and made my comments known then. Please, joint panel members, may I make a simple suggestion which would fix the main problem with traffic coming into St Albans along London Road?

What is obvious is that the two lanes of traffic have to meld into one after the junction and this works quite well. However, vehicles come from Mile House Lane across to St Vincents Drive and the last one or two get stuck across one of the incoming lanes due to the filter arrow switching off, causing an unexpected jam-up on the London Road traffic as the cars have to push back into the inside lane.

The answer is quite simple, would cost next to nothing and could be carried out without disrupting the traffic in any way. All that needs to be done is to adjust the right filter arrow into St Vincents Drive so that it is on for about seven seconds longer. This will allow traffic from Milehouse Lane time to get across the London Road and stop the problem, which is the cause of most of the bumps that happen. All the motorists would be very appreciative and go into work feeling much more relaxed!

Could someone pass this on to the panel concerned please.

PETER CULPITT

London Road, St Albans