Motorists in Oban are being asked to allow extra time for journeys because of a traffic light sequencing problem in the town.
Although the traffic lights near to Roxy’s Cafe continue to allow pedestrians to cross the road safely, a sequencing issue means there is a shorter time between pressing the crossing button and the lights changing to red for road users.
Argyll and Bute Council is now asking pedestrians to wait until a number of cars have passed before pressing the button to cross.
Engineers and electricians have been deployed to explore a range of options to fix the fault.
Red to green for pedestrians is quicker than usual
A spokeswoman said that “to maintain public safety, the best long-term option is to install new infrastructure and the process to do this has already started”.
Andrew Kain, spokesman for roads and transport, said: “We understand this may be frustrating for drivers but our main priority is to maintain pedestrian safety and make sure they are able to cross the road.
“The traffic lights continue to allow traffic through, but please be aware the sequence from green to red is quicker than usual.”
The tailbacks from the traffic go as far back as the entrance to Soroba to the south of the town, and from the north there are problems along George Street.
He continued: “We are working hard to fix this issue as quickly as possible.
“In the meantime, can we ask pedestrians to allow some time at the crossing before pressing the button then, due to speed of lights changing, allow time for traffic to pass through them.
“We thank road users for their continued patience until we can install the new traffic lights and we apologise for any inconvenience caused during this time.”
The council will display signs at the crossing advising pedestrians to be mindful when crossing and allow sufficient time between pressing the button to allow traffic to move freely.
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