Residents in Kingsteignton have expressed concern that temporary traffic lights installed this week at a busy junction are a taste of things to come. On Monday, workmen set up a four-way light control system at the junction of Exeter Road with Ley Lane and Longford Lane. The move was designed to control traffic while exploratory trenches were dug to discover the whereabouts of underground services before the installation of the controversial £70,000 permanent traffic lights, given the go-ahead last month. One resident, John Colley, said the lights had caused 'absolute chaos', particularly at peak times when children were heading to or from school. He said cars were queuing in all directions with some having difficulty in turning off Exeter Road owing to the build up. On Monday, a refuse lorry crew had unwittingly added to the problems when making its door-to-door collections. Mr Colley said he had spoken with highways engineers at the site who had planned to leave the lights on overnight, but after receiving 'so many complaints' had been told to turn them off. 'I'm seriously concerned that this is a foretaste of what is to come when the permanent system is installed. I sincerely hope that the false claim this is an accident blackspot isn't prophetic,' he said. Dave Lewis, who owns the Kings Fry fish and chip shop, close to the junction in Ley Lane, also complained, and said he'd never seen such congestion there before. A spokesman for Devon County Council apologised for the disruption, but said the temporary lights were not as sophisticated as a permanent system and therefore not as efficient. He added that, when operational, the new traffic control system would provide the safe pedestrian crossing it had been designed to deliver.
