Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson and Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, commenting on the Mayor’s welcoming of a report suggesting traffic flow could be smoothed by switching off, or removing traffic lights, said:
“The Mayor is latching onto a report which totally excludes any consideration of pedestrians or the economic bill that could arise from more pedestrian accidents.
“Of course some improvements could be made to how traffic lights work but the very first priority for the Mayor must be to end the scandal that across London over 400 pedestrian crossings at junctions fail to provide sufficient time for pedestrians to cross the road. These crossings are breaching national safety guidance, yet the Mayor is totally complacent over putting them right. Today, once again the Mayor has neglected the needs of pedestrians.”
The BBC covers Caroline's response to the proposals to remove traffic lights, backed by Boris Johnson, in this article.
The Guardian also covers the issue here.