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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Sian Traynor

Edinburgh drivers caught in endless queue after temporary lights cause chaos

Edinburgh drivers were faced with huge delays this week after a set of roadworks caused endless tailbacks on a busy commuter route.

Those travelling along Lanark Road West on Monday morning were met with standstill traffic after a set of temporary traffic lights allowed the congestion to form in rush hour.

One cyclist with a helmet camera captured the extensive tailbacks as cars waited nose to tail in the rain to pass through the lights, which began just before Juniper Green.

Able to move through the traffic, the cyclist's video showed a huge section of road almost at a complete standstill, with drivers facing extra delays of around 15 minutes.

Describing the scene as a "log jam of single occupancy cars", the tailback could also be seen to cause issues for drivers attempting to pull out of junctions onto the main road.

With the cyclist turning off the main road before the queue ends, the last frame also shows the queue continuing for another long stretch before the beginning of the works.

However, Monday's tailback is not the first to see the section of road seriously congested, with many local residents complaining the roadworks have been carrying on for months.

Initially started in July to allow for fibre broadband to be installed, the works have stretched up the section of road between Gillespie Crossroads and the Sainsbury's petrol station in Currie.

One resident told Edinburgh Live the temporary lights were only supposed to last for eight weeks, with their ever-changing position "now lasting for months."

They added: "There is only really one route out of Currie and Juniper Green this way so if you need to go that way you're stuck. It's been a nightmare and we've been stuck a few times for over half an hour."

The works are hoped to finish in the coming weeks.

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