Maitland motorists have spoken and Roads and Maritime Services has responded with plans to install traffic lights at the Church Street approach to the New England Highway roundabout. RMS has outlined a $1 million proposal to improve traffic flow and reduce queue lengths at the bothersome bottleneck. The plans are part of the second stage of works, and follow the introduction of traffic lights on the eastbound approach and an extended turning lane on Cessnock Road, which is currently under construction. Stage two includes traffic lights on the Church Street approach, two through lanes from Church Street to Cessnock Road and two right turn lanes for eastbound traffic on the highway to reach Cessnock Road. The plan also incorporates a new cycle path to separate eastbound cyclists from the roundabout. Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Roads and Infrastructure Chris Gulaptis said the proposal aimed to improve traffic flow and reduce travel times on the New England Highway during the afternoon peak. The announcement comes after scores of motorists told The Mercury they believed the new eastbound traffic lights had made congestion issue worse. RMS said the traffic lights were designed to create more gaps for westbound vehicles to enter the roundabout, and claimed that westbound queues had decreased by around 150 metres during the afternoon peak since the lights were switched on. But many locals believe the lights have only made things easier for cars coming from Church Street to enter the roundabout unimpeded. Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison said since the opening of the flyover, Maitland drivers had been increasingly contacting her office to say that the Church Street entry to the roundabout was a major contributor to the traffic chaos. "I've heard it called 'half a solution' more times than I can count, and feedback from the streets is that stage one of the government's latest attempted fix is possibly worse than nothing," she said. She encouraged people affected by the roundabout to provide feedback to RMS. "We must insist on a solution that takes into account existing traffic flows, changing suburban populations and peak time pressures," she said. "We don't want any more haphazard, half-baked solutions." People interested in having a say on the proposal can complete the RMS online survey, email paul.galvin@rms.nsw.gov.au or write to Paul Galvin, Transport for NSW, Locked Bag 2030, Newcastle NSW 2300 by Friday, December 13.