Traffic lights should be reduced, says National Trust Chairman and Alexi Sayle

For most drivers, the humble traffic light is an essential piece of road apparatus that stops us from careering into each other on the UK’s highways. But others say they are a blot on the urban landscape, and we in Britain have become somewhat addicted to them, erecting them far more than is necessary.

Comedian Alexi Sayle is one of those in favour ripping down a good portion of the nation’s traffic lights, a view that is also held by the National Trust’s Chairman, Simon Jenkins. Sayle suggested in a recent Telegraph article that junctions are among the only places where traffic lights should be, and even then they are overused.

Indeed, many countries get by with very few traffic lights. Those who have taken out a Short Term European Cover policy and explored places like Greece, Italy and Poland will see less of a reliance on traffic lights. And for those who have witnessed India’s urban traffic move about, it will be obvious that traffic can actually move without traffic lights.

In the UK we have a culture of relying on traffic lights, but do they make driving safer? If you look at the nation’s road safety record, we must be doing something right. Only four other countries in the world are safer to drive in: The Marshall Islands, Sweden, San Marino and Malta.

While Britain’s 3.59 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants is very impressive, it is not all down to traffic lights. Rigorous driving tests and a general respect for health and safety issues also play their part, along with advances in car safety design.

However, while the streets might look prettier with fewer traffic lights, they would arguably become more dangerous.