MOTORISTS have hit out at the “ridiculous” new traffic lights on Wolvercote roundabout claiming things are even worse than they were during the height of the roadworks.

The £9m scheme to widen the A40 and A44 on the approach to Wolvercote and Cutteslowe roundabouts and install traffic lights is nearing completion but commuters have said the lights – being tested at the moment – have made journeys longer.

Oxfordshire County Council defended the lights saying they would eventually work “in tandem” with those on Cutteslowe roundabout, which were not ready yet.

Wolvercote resident Paul Ballard-Whyte, who uses the roundabout twice every day to work near Bicester, said: “Every single time I have used the roundabout since the lights were installed I have been queuing – it’s ridiculous. The whole point of a roundabout is to let the traffic flow by filling gaps as they appear.

“But the traffic has been queued back behind a red light with an empty roundabout ahead.”

The 15-month scheme has caused lengthy delays and has been criticised by drivers who claimed there were large periods of inactivity on the site while they were sat in traffic.

The testing of traffic signals at both roundabouts and new traffic islands in Sunderland Avenue is all that remains with completion set for mid-October.

But history teacher Mr Ballard-Whyte said despite months of delays, lane closures and traffic restrictions, things hadn’t got any better.

He said: “We have put up with this for a year-and-a- half, which would be ok if it was going to be worth it at the end of the day. But it’s now worse than it was during the roadworks. Everything else they have done has been excellent but then they put traffic lights in.”

Irene Stratton, a medical statistician who works at the John Radcliffe Hospital, said the lights had also prolonged her journeys.

The 61-year-old said: “We keep hearing short-term pain and long-term gain but my journeys are now taking longer – it took longer for me to get to yoga in Summertown on a Sunday morning.”

County council spokesman Martin Crabtree said the lights will work in tandem with those at Cutteslowe, which will be switched on in the coming days.

He added: “We are running ahead of schedule.

“Cutteslowe will be largely complete in coming days (ie the traffic lights will be on there). Traffic lights enable us to better manage traffic and reduce the potential for queuing traffic to block back between junctions.

“This was a common issue with the previous designs, which had a significant impact on the capacity of both junctions.

“The previous designs also had no controlled crossing provision for pedestrians and cyclists at the junctions.

“With traffic signals these have now been incorporated making the junctions safer and more convenient for all users.”