Placing two traffic lights a few feet apart next to St Albans Town Hall has caused motorists to see double and campaigners to see red. The two sets of traffic lights on the same side of the road control the northbound traffic at the junction of Chequer St

Placing two traffic lights a few feet apart next to St Albans Town Hall has caused motorists to see double and campaigners to see red.

The two sets of traffic lights on the same side of the road control the northbound traffic at the junction of Chequer Street, Victoria Street and St Peters Street.

They were installed by Herts Highways when the "enhancement" of the city centre was carried out. But conservationists say that having the two lights together is pointless and spoils the historic building.

Eric Roberts of St Albans Civic Society felt they were an example of the increasing amount of street furniture such as traffic lights and signs that cluttered the city streets and had been placed with no sensitivity.

He added: "It seems like a waste of money and I don't know how they justify it."

A Herts Highways spokesperson defended the second light saying it was put there to improve traffic flow.

He added that it was a legal requirement to have two signal heads on each approach to a junction, and that the second light used to be at the opposite side of the Town Hall junction. But on busy market days, drivers who ended up in the middle of the junction would stop when they saw the second light go to red. As a consequence it would prevent traffic exiting from Victoria Street and caused blockages.

He added that both of the signals were connected to the same phase drive so they could not show different instructions at the same time.