Drivers are voicing growing concerns over recurring traffic signal failures at one of south Liverpool's busiest junctions, with a local councillor warning that an accident may occur before the issue is resolved. The junction of Grange Lane, Halewood Road, Gateacre Brow and Belle Vale Road has experienced intermittent outages since around November 2025, according to Gateacre and Woolton councillor Kris Brown.
Peak Hour Disruptions Cause Chaos
Cllr Brown said the traffic lights are not permanently out but have repeatedly failed during peak morning rush hour periods, typically between 7am and 8am. The outages sometimes occur consecutively for several days before the lights resume normal operation. “When they're out, they cause chaos and add a huge level of stress to an already busy junction, and a huge part of getting around that part of south Liverpool,” the 41-year-old told the Liverpool Echo. “So when they're out you just have to put your driving skills to the test.”
Residents have repeatedly reported the issue to Liverpool City Council, and Cllr Brown has also raised concerns with highways officers. “It could be fine for weeks until they go out again. Not only myself, but residents have put in their own complaints with the council so it's definitely logged with them,” he said.
Council Response and Petition
The councillor noted that the failures seem to be occurring more frequently than before, but the council's highways department has provided no clear timetable for a fix. “All I get from the council's highways is that there's no clear timetable of when it will be fixed. It's like groundhog day,” he said. “And I worry that we will get to a stage where someone won't be as thoughtful with their driving and we might see an accident before something is done.”
In an effort to secure action, Cllr Brown launched a petition, expressing frustration that such a step was necessary. “I shouldn't have to do this. I shouldn't have to launch a petition to get something done. It's not the first time. These are basic things the council will know about. We pay a lot of council tax and we expect a better service at the end of the day,” he said.
Pedestrian Safety Concerns
The councillor also highlighted dangers for pedestrians, particularly children. “Trying to cross there as a pedestrian is hard enough, but when cars are constantly on the move when the lights are out, it's dangerous. There's schools everywhere in the area. Kids are going to be crossing there, and I don't see how you could cross there while that's going on,” he added.
A spokesperson for Liverpool City Council said: “We apologise to road users for the issues they have faced with the traffic lights at this junction. The site was upgraded as part of a citywide LED retrofit programme but there have been some unexpected technical issues which we are currently working to overcome. Once this has been resolved we will undertake thorough testing before installing a permanent fix.”
