A set of traffic lights on the A40 are causing more problems for commuters than they solve, according to one west Oxfordshire man.

Adrian Smith, 43, commutes along the busy road every day from his home in Harvest Crescent, Carterton, to his job in High Wycombe.

He said during a period last September when the lights at Eynsham were out of operation, traffic moved faster in all directions and cut his travel time by as much as half an hour.

He has now become so frustrated with the lights he is calling for their removal — and wants other motorists to support him.

“It’s ridiculous that when the lights weren’t working, the traffic flowed so much smoother,” he said.

“It wasn’t just a few minutes, I was cutting anything between 20 and 30 minutes from my commute.

“I was hoping that they weren’t going to come back into action, that the county council had realised they were causing problems.

“I think the best thing would be to take them out. There are so many people who have to sit in the traffic that these things cause.”

Mr Smith blames the lights for regular tailbacks that can stretch back for up to two miles during the rush hours.

When Oxfordshire County Council installed the lights in 2006, it said they would ease congestion on the busy A40 – and make it safer and quicker for buses to turn into Eynsham.

But Mr Smith said the lights had failed to deliver.

He added: “I know I’m going to be using this road for at least another two years, so I’m doing anything I can to solve the problem.

“The idea of getting people on the buses is to help the environment, but there are such huge queues that this can’t be the case.

“The whole road is a problem really and I think if these lights were taken out it would make such a difference.”

Mr Smith said if people were frustrated, they should follow his lead and contact the county council until something is done about it.

He added: “It’s a problem that’s been allowed to grow and it’s got to the point where I think enough is enough.”

Daniel Round, from the council’s transport team, said: “We are aware of concerns raised about this set of traffic lights and are planning to carry out some follow-up surveys to review the impact of the lights on traffic flows in the area.”

witney@oxfordmail.co.uk