Labour Cabinet admit ETC problems

At last night's Darlington Borough Council Cabinet meeting, Labour portfolio holders expressed their concerns about the problems being encountered by "long-suffering Darlington motorists" (to quote Leader John Williams) along Haughton Road towards the Eastern Transport Corridor.

While it was asserted, justifiably in my experience, that travel into town from the A66 was now noticeably quicker, and that traffic congestion through Haughton was reduced, Labour councillors demanded that officers addressed the problems of severe congestion heading out of town from the inner ring road to the ETC.

Clearly there are severe problems, but I'm not convinced tweaking the timing of the lights at the Throughabout is going to solve the problem. It's the lights themselves that are the problem. When the temporary roundabout, without lights, was in operation during the latter stages of the construction process, there was no problem.

The lights hold up the traffic. There are only four roads joining the Throughabout, so why wasn't an ordinary roundabout installed? The problem is compounded because traffic wishing to access the ETC cannot join the queue to do so until about 50 meters from the Throughabout, so there is no free flow of cars onto the ETC.

Once again, as was the case with Hurworth School, the Pedestrian Heart and the building of the ETC, Labour councillors are trying to shift the blame onto officers. But who approves their plans? Who is elected to ensure that the professionals get the job right? Who, once again, has failed to do just that?