Ipswich: Civic Drive Junction Improved

14 October 2013, 00:10 | Updated: 14 October 2013, 06:29

Extra sensors have been connected under the road surface at the junction between Civic Drive and Princes Street in Ipswich, which are now helping to improve the way the junction works.

Engineers have installed the additional hardware to help the traffic lights detect waiting traffic and allow more time for vehicles turning right to clear the junction.

It follows an audit to assess how drivers are using the junction day to day. The sensors, known as ‘loops’, will be operational from today.

It’s part of Suffolk County Council’s Travel Ipswich programme to make it easier to travel around the town and prepare the road network for expected growth in the next 20 years.

Councillor Graham Newman, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for roads and transport said:

“The Civic Drive junction looks much better and is operating well, but we want to make further improvements.

“The new sensors help the lights detect where the traffic is and, if needed, allow more time for vehicles turning right to clear the junction.

“These lights aren’t yet connected to our town-wide traffic management system. This will happen next year. But when they are, we’ll be able to monitor closely traffic movements at all times and take action to ease congestion. This is a significant improvement on the arrangements that we currently have in place.”