THE long-awaited switch on of a set of traffic lights on a major Thurrock junction finally happened today (Wednesday, 26 August) – 18 months after they should have bee functioning.

The sorry saga of the Buckingham Hill Road and Stanford Road junction lights had become something of a symbol of the failure of Thurrock Council to get a grip on local transport issues.

Allied to the botched regeneration of nearby Stanford rail station and the hugely expensive saga of the adjacent A13 widening project, the planning power and accountability of Thurrock Council has been widely ridiculed.

The lights at the junction, though not wanted by a majority of residents and motorists, were supposed to be put in place by housebuilder Persimmon as part of its community contribution for building more than 100 homes in East Tilbury.

But the lights malfunctioned from day one, and were replaced by a series of temporary measures that led to a number of crashes and general condemnation of the council's ability.

Only last week there was further ridicule when the lights were delayed even further. However, this afternoon, they were finally switched on!