Faulty Traffic Lights or Pedestrian Crossings
Any faulty traffic lights or pedestrian crossings should be reported to us immediately on 01908 252353 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm). For Out of office hours use 01908 226699.
Please include
- Location - include as many details as you can e.g. road name, estate, near a shop, phone box etc.
- Type e.g. pedestrian crossing or traffic lights at junction or crossroads
- Nature of fault e.g. red light out, no lights at all, damaged, pole number
How Traffic Lights Work
Traffic lights manage traffic by stopping vehicles in one direction to let others pass, using a timed sequence to keep traffic flowing safely at busy junctions and slip roads.
Most signals are powered by a standalone system with a controller in a nearby roadside cabinet. If this cabinet is damaged, all lights at that junction may stop working.
Traffic lights detect vehicles using inductive loops installed in the road. When a vehicle passes over the loop, the controller registers that traffic is waiting and adjusts signal timings to improve flow.
Common Traffic Light Problems
1. Incorrect or Reset Signal Timings
Repairs or maintenance can reset lights to their default settings, making sequences appear too long or too short. A qualified engineer can re‑adjust the timings.
2. Loops Not Detecting Traffic
Surfacing or roadworks may damage the inductive loops, preventing them from detecting vehicles. This often requires more extensive repair or full loop replacement.
3. Physical Damage
Traffic lights and their roadside cabinets, are sometimes damaged by vehicle collisions, causing the signals to fail. Cabinet repairs can be extensive, but we may be able to do a temporary fix if other signals are nearby. Costs are recovered from drivers’ insurance where possible known as a Green Claim.
The Council is upgrading many traffic signals as the existing infrastructure is at the end of it's operational life and the parts are no longer manufactured. This can make it difficult when we are trying to fix an older system as the replacement parts are either not available or too costly.
Pedestrian Crossings
There are different types of pedestrian crossing in the UK are either controlled or uncontrolled. You can read more about them on our Road Safety section but here's a brief description of each one and how and where we might use them:
Uncontrolled Crossings
These are Zebra Crossings and a crossing operated by a School Crossing Patroller.
A Zebra crossing has black and white painted strips across the road and flashing amber beacons. Drivers must stop and allow a pedestrian to cross over here. Pedestrians should wait until the vehicle stops completely before stepping onto the crossing. We use zebra crossings on roads with lower speed limits.
A School Crossing Patroller (lollipop person) wears a high visibility yellow jacket and has a 'lollipop' sign saying Stop. They help children to cross the road, usually near the entrance of a school or on a busy road close to the school. They are only on duty during term time at the start and end of the school day. You must stop if a school crossing patroller has stopped the traffic to allow children to cross and should only move away again once they are safely back on the pavement.
The Council offers a three year grant to schools so they can employ a School Crossing Patroller. Details about the grant and how to apply can be found on our Road Safety section.
Controlled Crossings
A controlled crossing is a crossing that is controlled by traffic lights. The main ones are called: Pelican, Toucan, Puffin and Pegasus (horse crossing).
The most common pedestrian crossings is the pelican crossing. This is controlled by a set of traffic lights, and pedestrians can press a button if they wish to cross and then wait for the green man to show it is safe for them to cross. A beeping sound will be heard too so that visibility impaired pedestrians know to cross. Drivers will see the red light when the green man is shown for pedestrians.
When the green man starts flashing the amber light will flash for drivers and they should not move if there are still pedestrians crossing the road. If there are no more pedestrians crossing when the amber light shows then drivers can move on.
Some pedestrian crossings have a central island in the middle and there may be two sets of lights. Pedestrians will need to wait on the island before crossing for a second time.
A puffin crossing also has a push button system but also has a sensor on top of the lights and in the pavement so they know when a person has finished crossing. This means the lights will only stay red as long as it takes for the person to cross and will go back to green once that person is across. The benefit of a puffin crossing is that they keep traffic moving and pedestrians as long as they need to cross which is better for those with mobility issues.
A toucan crossing is designed for cyclists and pedestrians. Cyclists do not have to get off their bike if they wish to cross at this type of crossing. Toucan crossings have a green and red bike alongside the red and green man lights. There is a green cycle symbol alongside the green man. Toucan crossings also use sensors like a puffin crossing.
A Pegasus crossing or equestrian crossing is designed for horse riders. Similar to the toucan crossing, the green/red lights show when it is safe to cross but there is a lit 'horse' symbol instead of a bicycle. The push button is also higher up so a mounted rider can press it. This type of crossing is only used where riders would frequently be crossing a busy road.
All crossings will have tactile paving which is footpath tiles with small, detectable bumps on them. Those with a visual impairment can detect these bumps to know there is a crossing point.