I'll fess up. I've done it 3 or 4 times. I suspect a few other people on this forum have too. I have driven slowly on these occasions in case that soothes your ire. It does wind me up when I see people hack it down.

Those lights let 4-5 cars through from HOR to the South Circ to put people off using the Ladywell/Honour Oak route to circumvent the South Circular. Hence the long queues - and not just at rush hour. One of the councillors told me as much. An unwanted consequence (environmentalism aside) is that people in the manor on the hill wanting to pop to Sainsbury's have to join the queuing masses. What can I say. Temptation's got the better of me. A better solution is to just make it 2 way.