WITH almost 400 comments across the weekend, the issue with the traffic lights at St Mark's roundabout has got Journal readers talking.

Highways England confirmed last week that the lights will be out of action for a few more weeks, due to damage caused by the on-going resurfacing work.

This led to Salisbury's Conservative group writing to Highways to express its "total dissatisfaction and frustration with the current situation on the A36".

City and Wiltshire councillor Paul Sample then wrote to the Department of Transport on the issue, calling for "emergency action before someone is killed".

But if social media is anything to go by, then most Salisbury residents would prefer the lights remain switched off.

On Friday, Aiden Harwood said it "works much better without the lights", but added: "[The] Only problem is coming off Wain-A-Long or Estcourt Road at peak times, you'll be waiting a long time for a gap."

Michael Ruskin added: "If there is a general consensus to keep them off and say 'normal roundabout rules apply' who makes that representation to Highways England on behalf of residents?"

On Saturday, after the Journal published Paul Sample's letter to the Department of Transport, Tim Price said on Facebook: "So much better with the traffic lights off - they should be removed permanently."

Lauren Tribbeck added: "Traffic flows so much better WITHOUT the lights, far less congestion - it's only the people who don't know how to correctly use roundabout lanes that are the problem here."

A Journal website user said there was "no need for the lights", adding: "We could use a little bit of traffic policing though to remind a worryingly large proportion of drivers not to speed, text, park inconsiderately etc."

The large majority of reader's comments both on Facebook and the Journal website were in support of keeping the lights switched off permanently.

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