One Saturday a couple of weeks ago I was sat in traffic on Dartmouth road at 9am. After 10 minutes of queuing I was cross. The lights on Dartmouth road were on green for 8 seconds, barely enough time for three cars to get through. When we got to the south circular it was totally clear. I observed the same issues all week with queues all the way back to the pools whilst the south circular was clear.

Frustrated, I wrote to the council, who wrote to tfl and today I had this reply

Re.: Operation of the traffic signals at the intersection of London Road / Devonshire Road (A205), with Dartmouth Road, SE23

Thank you for your email of September 14 regarding the phasing of the above set of traffic signals. I am most sorry if you have experienced delays and resulting inconvenience at this location. Our signals engineers at Transport for London (TfL) have investigated your concerns, and I am pleased to convey their conclusions. 

An engineer has investigated the site. They found a fault with the vehicle detection equipment on Dartmouth Road, and this matter has been reported to our maintenance contractor. This detection is designed to respond to levels of traffic on Dartmouth Road, and to allocate more time to the green signals at the location if the road is busy.

Please be advised that engineers will continue to monitor the signals over the coming months to ensure that the correct balance is in operation, and that the signals are working optimally.


I thought you'd all like to know!