Work to cut waiting times at problem Lidl junction

Improvements are being made to the notorious Lidl junction in Caister Picture: Liz Coates (Image: Archant)

The staggered crossroads close to Lidl in Caister is a well-known pinch point as traffic from multiple directions attempts to make its way across the busy interchange.

Parish council chairman Tony Baker said the work was to enable a safer exit from Lidl which would have its own lane under new traffic light phasing meaning vehicles would no longer head out into on-coming traffic from Ormesby Road.

“It is a junction we have always had concerns for,” he said.

“It is not so bad for locals who use it all the time but for holiday makers it must be a nightmare.

“We have been banging on about it for a few years now because cutting across that junction is very very confusing and quite dangerous.”

Under the changes it would mean moving from a two phase to a three phase system, he understood, which meant waiting a little longer at the lights but not getting stuck in the middle of the highway waiting for a gap to get across.

A Norfolk County Council spokesperson, said: “To help traffic flow more smoothly at this busy junction we’re updating the traffic lights with new demand responsive lights to help cut average waiting times.

“The new lights will automatically adjust the time they are on green to help traffic move through the junction more easily in the future.

“Once the lights are in place we will be monitoring and adjusting as necessary to make sure they are performing well.”

The installation is expected to be complete and the lights up and running on Tuesday (November 10).

Officials will the begin monitoring the lights and making adjustments as needed.

Mr Baker welcomed the changes and said he was surprised there had not been more accidents there, although people did tend to approach the crossing fairly gingerly.

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