A MARTHAM woman believes bumper to bumper traffic at the Gapton Hall roundabout could be a thing of the past if the traffic lights were removed. Joan Harding made the remark after reading a story about a signal breakdown on a major roundabout in Hertfordshire, near where she used to live.

A MARTHAM woman believes bumper to bumper traffic at the Gapton Hall roundabout could be a

thing of the past if

the traffic lights were removed.

Joan Harding made the remark after reading a story about a signal breakdown on a major roundabout in Hertfordshire, near where she used to live.

Mrs Harding read a report on the Welwyn and Hatfield

Times website about the Oldings roundabout in Hatfield - a major intersection on the old A1 and close to the M25. Traffic lights stopped working during peak morning rush hour and chaos for commuters was predicted on local radio.

But, the opposite happened and traffic was reported to move “freely” on the roundabout without the signals. Mrs Harding thought of Yarmouth's notorious Gapton Hall and believes removing traffic lights could help the gridlock problem.

She said: “Oldings is a much bigger roundabout than Gapton Hall. It has major trunk roads leading off from it and it's got heavy traffic. When the lights went down people were expecting police to be out directing traffic but nothing happened, they didn't have any problems.”

Mrs Harding dubbed Gapton Hall a “nightmare” roundabout and said she often avoids it on her journeys to Gorleston and Lowestoft.

“Gapton has been nothing but trouble and I often go along Southtown Road and

through Yarmouth to avoid it,” she said.

“If the Oldings roundabout can work well without traffic lights, and it is a much bigger roundabout, I can't see why Yarmouth's little Gapton Hall can't.

“The lights are in the wrong place. Something needs to be done about it.

If not, what will happen when the outer harbour is built and we get all that extra traffic?”

The Highways Agency has indicated hi-tech traffic lights that respond to traffic movements might be the best way of easing congestion but said the £250,000 funding could not be found until 2009-10 at the earliest.

The Gapton Hall

taskforce - made up of local councillors and business leaders - will confront agency officials at a public meeting next month

over plans to improve the roundabout.

Results from a traffic survey carried out at the roundabout during August and September will also be revealed at a meeting next month.