Traffic lights have been installed at Junction 10a - sparking anger among drivers who fear the signals will cause long queues when the coronavirus lockdown is lifted.

The £104 million M20 roundabout in Ashford opened to motorists in October, with only landscaping still left to complete.

Highways England has now installed lights on the junction, which it hopes will improve traffic flow.

But drivers fear the signals will cause long tailbacks when motorists return to the roads, with many saying traffic flowed well on the junction anyway and it did not need changing.

Kennington resident Neil Waterer says the installation of the lights is unnecessary, describing it as a “waste of time”.

“I sat at the lights for four minutes with no cars on the road,” he said.

“I avoid Junction 9 because I think it’s dangerous and I hated Junction 10 - I’d avoid that because the traffic lights have made going around it a pain.

“Has 10a made it better? Yes it has and traffic’s been flowing much better, but putting lights on there will just clog it up again.

“If you think of Junction 10, as soon as the lights go down it works perfectly fine - I’m just not a fan of traffic lights.”

Mr Waterer also suggested that by adding a signalling system, the traffic issues are only being moved further down the road.

Others fear there will be long tailbacks along Hythe Road when the coronavirus restrictions are eased.

Another Ashford resident, Colin Dixon, thinks traffic problems in the area could have been solved in a much simpler way and that lights could have been used more efficiently.

He said: “Some of the traffic lights have been removed from Junction 10 but they’ve still kept the same sequence as before so if you’re coming from the A20 you’re still sitting and waiting for ages for the lights to turn green and let in a small amount of cars.

“My opinion of the new junction is it’s a waste of money and not required, all that was required - and which now is installed - is a set of lights to exit Barrey Road at the retail park.

“Everyone in Ashford will tell you that’s all that was required, plus removing the lights from Junction 10.

“Everything that came out of Barrey Road and Sevington has to go through Junction 10, so simply adding lights or a roundabout to Barrey Road would have solved the problem.

“Most cars still use Junction 10 and not 10a.

“Living in the middle of both of them I still see Junction 10 being used as the main junction.

“Where else in the country have you ever seen two junctions so close together?”

Ashford MP Damian Green says Junction 10a "unlocks a lot of development potential" in the town.

He said: "We need the junction.

"With all the houses being built in the area, it's good for the new and existing residents to get jobs nearby.

"There's a lot of land that can now be developed and that could mean thousands of jobs created as a consequence.

"Traffic has certainly been flowing well there in recent weeks.

"The truth is these new traffic lights are necessary at peak times but not at others.

"We can't tell until we get back to normal traffic levels - you have to reserve judgement for a few weeks or so, at least until we see peak traffic levels.

"We've worried for some time that if you have blockages there you have traffic backing up into much of the surrounding area, and hopefully this will be avoided thanks to these lights."

A Highways England spokesman noted that, as of yet, no formal complaints have been received about the junctions traffic signals.

He said the lights are working on a MOVA [Microprocessor Optimised Vehicle Actuation] system, which is a method of adaptive signal control based on the presence of vehicles detected on the approach to the junction.

In a statement, the spokesman said: “The M20 Junction 10a is a major new gateway into Ashford and the traffic signals on the roundabout will help to keep traffic flowing smoothly and safely.

“The lights are automatically adjusted to maximise traffic flow across the junction and we will continue to monitor the traffic signals on a regular basis and make adjustments where necessary.”

The lights - which were installed on April 20 - have always been part of Highways England’s plans for the junction - a scheme which was first mooted more than a decade ago.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Highways England said it expected the Junction 10a scheme to be completed later this year, with landscaping work finishing in early 2021.

Chiefs had hoped the project would be finished by this summer, but have now pushed back the estimated completion date.

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