Chaos on Watford's ring road should have been avoided - this is why

Following enquiries, the Observer has been told it was never agreed that gas company Cadent could put temporary traffic lights on the ring road.

Instead, a spokesperson for the county council has said the temporary traffic lights should have been in Clarendon Road only.

Four-way lights at the junction of the ring road and Clarendon Road on Tuesday. Credit: Stephen Danzig

Watford has experienced some of the worst traffic delays in recent times this week after four-way traffic lights were put in place on the ring road at the junction with Clarendon Road.

There was gridlock on the ring road during Monday's evening's rush hour and queues all day on Tuesday - stretching all the way back to the M1 as motorists queued into Watford.

Queuing traffic on the ring road and Beechen Grove. Credit: Stephen Danzig

Drivers have taken to social media over recent days to report being stuck in queues of over an hour with some describing the situation as an "absolute joke". Buses were also delayed and diverted and emergency vehicles have struggled to get through the traffic.

Queuing traffic on Watford's ring road on Wednesday morning at the junction with Lower High Street in the direction of Clarendon Road

Hi Lillibel. Thank you for your comments. These traffic lights were not agreed by us. We have passed this information over to our Inspection team and we are working to get this resolved as soon as possible. We apologise for any disruption caused. Thank you for your understanding.

— HCC Highways (@Herts_Highways) September 15, 2021

And to add insult to injury, it has now emerged this could - and should - have all been avoided.

A county council spokesperson told the Observer: "Our network management team authorised Cadent Gas to put three-way temporary traffic lights at the junction of Clarendon Road and Gartlet Road, to allow them to carry out their works safely.

"We did not authorise the use of four way temporary traffic lights at the junction of Clarendon Road and Beechen Grove."

The roadworks in Clarendon Road that Cadent put the four-way lights in for. Circled, right, is one of the four sets of lights which is some distance from the ring road. Credit: Stephen Danzig

The council continued: "Because of the extensive disruption these unauthorised temporary lights have caused, our network management team revoked the permit for the works yesterday afternoon (Tuesday), meaning that Cadent Gas have to make the site safe and remove their equipment from the highway within 24 hours.

"We expect that the temporary lights will therefore be removed this afternoon."

These lights are set to be removed this afternoon. Credit: Stephen Danzig

A spokesperson for Cadent told the Observer they had been told the temporary traffic lights would be gone by last night (Tuesday) but the lights were still there this morning, causing further disruption for drivers in the town centre.

Cadent has issued a statement today which does not appear to acknowledge the error the council says the company made.

A Cadent spokesperson said today: "Cadent have been carrying out maintenance work in the area. We know this has caused disruption, but we hope that people understand this is essential work to keep the gas flowing safely and reliably to Watford.

"We planned this work closely with Hertfordshire County Council and the temporary traffic arrangements were necessary to ensure the safety of our teams on site. Work began yesterday to clear the site and will be completed by the end of the day."

Terrible delays continued on the ring road throughout the day until around 5.30pm when the traffic cleared up, suggesting the temporary lights have now been removed.