Why did the traffic lights at Norcross Roundabout near Blackpool stop working?

Traffic lights at the controversial Norcross Roundabout have failed, causing issues for drivers near Blackpool.
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The roundabout, which caused problems for many drivers when it re-opened after remodelling as part of a £150m project aimed at easing traffic flow on the busy A585, has seen repeated issues with the lights over the past two years.

And the problem resurfaced on Wednesday morning, with another lights failures causing long delays. One motorist told the Gazette there were a number of near-misses as a result.

What changes were made at the Norcross Roundabout?

Driers are being warned that the traffic lights have failed at Norcross RoundaboutDriers are being warned that the traffic lights have failed at Norcross Roundabout
Driers are being warned that the traffic lights have failed at Norcross Roundabout
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The roundabout re-opened in June 2020 after an 11 month rebuild by National Highways and contractor Kier Highways, having being made made bigger, and having the traffic lights installed. The approaches to the junction were made wider and the layout changed, causing some confusion for drivers used to the old layout.

What do motorists think of the changes?

Many people were unconvinced by the ongoing roadworks. One is Poulton resident John Bailie, who uses the road regularly. He said: “This has happened many times. I am not keen on putting traffic lights on roundabouts in any case, the definition of the word roundabout is that traffic can go round, but not when you put traffic lights on it.

"Why they had to create such a complex system in the first place, I don’t know? The whole layout is fundamentally flawed.

The Norcross Roundabout has been seen as controversial by some drivers who find it difficult to negotiateThe Norcross Roundabout has been seen as controversial by some drivers who find it difficult to negotiate
The Norcross Roundabout has been seen as controversial by some drivers who find it difficult to negotiate
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"The fact that there are no traffic lights on the approach from Carleton is inherently dangerous because you sit there and wait for a gap in the traffic, make your decision to go, only to be quite often confronted by a car quite legally approaching from the Fleetwood direction, having been given a green light.”

Why did the traffic lights fail at Norcross Roundabout?

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Philip Cueto from National Highways said: “We have been made aware of an issue with the traffic lights on Norcross Roundabout. Our contractor has attended the site to ascertain the cause and get this resolved as quickly as possible.

National Highways is hoping to have the traffic lights back on at Norcross Roundabout by the weekendNational Highways is hoping to have the traffic lights back on at Norcross Roundabout by the weekend
National Highways is hoping to have the traffic lights back on at Norcross Roundabout by the weekend

“A component on the traffic lights has failed, which means the signals need to remain off until a replacement part can be sourced and installed. We are in the process of doing that as a priority and we are now working with a target to have the lights reinstated for this weekend.”