Time to crack down on drivers who ‘run’ red lights

The M65 has been a car park for weeks and anyone trying to get in and out of Burnley from the Gannow end of town has had more nonsense to put up with.

In Pendle there have been major roadworks in Brierfield and now in Barrowford.

All of them happening at the same time has added to the daily grind and even, in some extreme cases I can think of, forced some people to get out of bed a little bit sooner to make sure they get to work on time!

With all the added time and stress, I have not been able to fail to notice that driving “manners”, for want of a better description, have deteriorated rapidly, especially as the schools and colleges have returned from their summer breaks at the same time as all these roadworks.

Half the people on our roads are clearly more important than the rest of us.

Rights of way count for nothing.

Give Way and Stop signs are just an inconvenience.

And traffic lights are ignored by a chunk of local drivers.

My route home in the evening involves the traffic lights I still refer to as the “Prestige Lights” in Burnley.

You all know them and you all know the filter that allows people to turn right and head back into Burnley.

This week, on three occasions, I have been at the front of the queue waiting to get out of town.

With little else to do, I decided to count the number of motorists who “ran” the red light on that particular filter.

Three days, 28 drivers.

Had I chosen to set off on green, I would have found myself in the middle of traffic that shouldn’t have been there.

The main lights in Nelson town centre are just as bad.

On three other occasions this week I have been horrified by the number of people “running” red lights, even when the traffic they are turning into is already on the move.

Surely these traffic lights are fitted with cameras.

A few fixed penalties might sort it out!