Moray Council calls for drivers to follow right turn rules at Forres junction

The local authority has called for motorists to follow the rules and be more considerate at the town’s busiest junction.

In an effort to alleviate tailbacks at traffic lights at ‘the brig’ where St Catherine’s Road meets Orchard Road, Moray Council has added a right turn green light that some drivers claim has made the problem worse.

A council spokesperson explained that traffic patterns have changed since the lights were made active in March 2023 so adjustments were made.

She said: “We collected new data, and used it to test different settings to improve the lights. Some changes made a few weeks ago did not work as expected so further adjustments were made and we continued to monitor the signals.”

A second format of traffic lights was installed last week, introducing a right turn arrow to allow drivers turning in that direction a dedicated green light to clear part of the queue behind them.

However, there have been a number of claims made on social media that the new light is ineffective because there is no slip-lane in place at the junction.

A Knockomie Braes resident who spoke to the Gazette but who would prefer to remain anonymous believes traffic issues have increased over the last year-and-a-half.

She said: “It’s even worse now that a right turn light has been added. There’s no slip lane and no advice for motorists about the junction’s new rules so it’s a free-for-all at the moment.

“I was travelling to Applegrove Primary from Knockomie at 3pm. The usual green light was on at the brig while I was on St Catherine’s Road so I turned onto Orchard Road as usual but the car behind me tooted because the green right turn light wasn’t on. I’m not sure who was in the right there?!”

She added: “Folk I’ve spoken to don’t know what the new rules are either. There is no slip road or additional lane to wait in.”

The council spokesperson explained that, due to the the bridge on Orchard Road, there is no space to provide a separate lane for right turning vehicles.

She said: “In such instances, signals can still be installed with a right turn arrow which runs when the traffic travelling in the opposite direction is stopped.

“Prior to the introduction of the signals, vehicles approaching from the Grantown road direction and turning right into Orchard Road would block the progress of vehicles behind them travelling north towards the A96 while waiting for a gap in the traffic. There is no change to this given the inability to install a separate lane.

“However, vehicles waiting to turn right into Orchard Road can, if there is an acceptable gap in the traffic, turn before the green arrow appears - they don’t need to wait until the arrow is showing if there is an acceptable gap in the traffic travelling south.

“Once the green arrow is lit, traffic travelling in the opposite direction towards the health centre is stopped and the right turning traffic can freely turn into Orchard Road.”

The resident would like to see the lights abandoned in favour of a more traditional method of ensuring road safety.

“The lights shouldn’t be there in the first place,” she said. “The lollipop lady was fine!

“Traffic is getting busier here as this side of town gets bigger and it’s never been busier than it is now. During the rush hours it takes 20 minutes on a good day just to get through.”

Moray Council leader, Councillor Kathleen Robertson (Forres, Conservative), hopes the situation will improve.

“I understand the frustration with the sequencing and the addition of a filter signal,” she said. “Hopefully the traffic team will reassess the issues arising from the changes and take the appropriate steps to find a quick resolution.”

Fellow local councillor, Scott Lawrence (SNP), added: “I am aware that changes to the traffic lights at the brig caused increased congestion at the start of last week. Work was done to improve the phasing and things seem to have improved.

“I’ve asked council officers to continue traffic monitoring to ensure the optimal operation of the lights.”

Conservative Highlands and Islands MSP, Douglas Ross, suggested to Moray Council that a right turn light be added.

He explained: “Ever since the junction was altered, it was obvious to most drivers and indeed pedestrians, that a right turn lane for traffic wishing to travel from St Catherine’s Road onto Orchard Road would alleviate most of the traffic issues related to long tailbacks at this junction. In my previous role as MP I contacted the Moray Council on this issue and as a result they extended the traffic control time for those travelling north and northeast at the junction.

“However, I was still being contacted by constituents who were pointing out the obvious solution, which was the installation of a right turn filter traffic light. I wrote again to Moray Council on this issue earlier this month and I am delighted that the right turn filter has been installed.”

Meanwhile, Moray Council is advising motorists to follow the rules to increase the flow.

The spokesperson said: “Following monitoring of the signals by our engineer and contractor over a 24-hour period, the detection receivers were re-aligned and the time between green lights was altered.

“Their observations show some of the issues are being caused by drivers going through on red lights; blocking the junction; and not allowing drivers on the next green to go as soon as they change. This was having a knock-on effect during peak times.

“The changes have allowed queues to clear more quickly but we will continue to monitor the signals and make any changes as necessary.”