London - Chaos on the roads as lights fail

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Chaos on the roads as lights fail

by David Williams Motoring Editor

Vast sections of west and south London were plunged into chaos today when traffic lights failed at two of the capital's most important road junctions.

Hogarth roundabout, one of the major gateways to London from the west, experienced the worst disruption after the lights slipped out of sequence at about 7.20am.

The junction of the busy A4 and the A316 became locked solid within seconds.

Minutes later, the traffic lights at most approach roads to Vauxhall Cross failed too, leaving thousands of drivers to force their way through the junction, which is also a vital hub for buses.

AA Roadwat ch said drivers from the west faced delays of up to half an hour after the lights failure at Hogarth roundabout, even though police were controlling traffic.

Within minutes traffic began building up on the A4, and by 8am the M4 into London had become jammed as far back as junction four near Hayes.

Drivers faced further misery on the M4 when four cars and a lorry collided on the intersecting A329M, near Wokingham, injuring several people.

Overstretched emergency services were already battling to save a severely injured driver trapped in his car under a lorry on the Maidenhead Road at Hurley, Berkshire.

"It is a difficult morning on the roads," said AA Roadwatch. "Because of the traffic light problems at the Hogarth it is very congested.

"Police directed traffic but areas including Chiswick, Hammersmith, Kew and Gunnersbury began suffering fairly quickly.

"By 8am roads at Heston, Cranford and Hayes as well as on the A312 were having problems too."

While traffic came to a standstill on the major roads, a network of minor roads linking the arteries also became blocked.

In south London the failed lights at Vauxhall Cross caused queues to build up on South Lambeth Road as far back as Stockwell, while other main roads affected included Nine Elms Lane, Wandsworth Road and Albert Embankment.

Traffic was also affected at Lambeth roundabout and on Vauxhall Bridge.

This is London

-- Anonymous, January 13, 2002


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