Proposals for another pedestrian crossing on Watford ring road have been pushed through.

Hertfordshire County Council ran a two-month trial between May and July to look at the impact of introducing a second crossing at the junction of Clarendon Road.

When the trial began, it caused major tailbacks on the ring road but the council said it was a "crucial" and apologised for the "temporary delays".

Now, the council has confirmed a new crossing will be created which means the traffic light phasing at the junction will change forever.

Where is the new crossing?

Funding still needs to be secured, but the crossing is proposed across the ring road on the Watford Palace Theatre side of Clarendon Road. Currently, barriers prevent pedestrians from crossing on that side.

This is where the second crossing is proposed

Why does the council want a second crossing?

With St John's School in Clarendon Road expanding and increased footfall expected between Clarendon Road and Watford High Street, the county council says it needs to find ways of improving pedestrian safety.

The council said people had "insufficient" time to cross both the ring road and Clarendon Road before traffic lights turned green. Therefore, it looked at the possibility of creating a second crossing which took away the need to cross both the ring road and Clarendon Road.

Why does having a second crossing impact traffic?

Currently, when people cross the ring road, vehicles are able to leave Clarendon Road while ring road traffic is held. But with the second crossing, this will no longer be the case, which is why journey times through the junction will be delayed.

What impact did the trial have on traffic?

The trial ran from May 17 to July 17 and traffic light signals were revised to mirror how it would be if a second crossing was introduced. Two phases were trialled - the first one led to tailbacks on the ring road, while the second phase reduced congestion on the ring road but led to longer queues in Beechen Grove from the town hall roundabout.

Watford Observer:

Stationary traffic on the ring road pictured back in May

The council says during the trial, average journey times from five key routes that feed through the junction in question were analysed, focusing on the weekday morning and afternoon peak times. The council says this showed a "minimal increase" in journey times.

What impact have the new timings had on traffic now the holidays are over?

With schoolchildren back and the summer holidays over, the roads are much busier, and with the revised traffic light timings in place, it provides a new opportunity to see the impact it has on drivers.

So far, in the morning, it appears drivers travelling around the ring road between 8.30am and 9.30am are most affected, with queues tailing back to Vicarage Road.

Roadworks have since appeared near Market Street which has shut one lane - which can be assumed will have an affect on the overall traffic flow.

The county council says traffic flow, particularly during rush hour, "will inevitably fall" as alternative methods of transport are chosen such as walking, cycling, or using public transport.

The council is aware that the revised lights have not been working smoothly and tweaks to the phasing are still ongoing.

Watford Observer:

Queueing traffic on Watford ring road, before the junction of Vicarage Road, at 9.30am on Monday. Google Maps showed this queue stretched all the way round to Clarendon Road

Watford Observer:

The same location an hour earlier on Monday

Watford Observer:

8.30am on the ring road at the junction of Market Street on Tuesday. Traffic can clearly be seen backed up

What do the decision-makers say?

Hertfordshire County Council highways cabinet member Cllr Phil Bibby says: "A detailed design process is underway for a second crossing to be introduced at the junction after a trial highlighted that pedestrians (especially schoolchildren) were finding it difficult to cross the road within the designated time.

"The timings have been extended in the interim to give them an additional few seconds to cross.

"The principle of having a second crossing is in line with Hertfordshire County Council’s objectives to give pedestrians priority as part of the local transport plan."

Central Watford county councillor Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst says: "I am in favour of improving pedestrian facilities but it is important we have the right balance. We watched videos which showed pedestrians did not have enough time to cross.

"The lights have been adjusted and there will be further tweaks but I think we have to accept this is a congested part of town and there will be queues sometimes."

Do you think this can work long-term? Leave your thoughts below or email nathan.louis@newsquest.co.uk