To buy a house that has traffic lights outside?

[narcdad45]

Everyone I've spoken to says avoid, there is parking for 2 cars at the back, in a great area, no need to change schools, under budget and affordable.
Am I mad for considering?

I think when you buy a house there's always compromise. Presumably you love this house because it's more for you money than others you've looked at.

It must be on a busy road? That would put me off more than the traffic light but again, the price should reflect that.

It depends on the lights.

For example a pedestrian crossing in a residential area wouldn't bother me, but a busy junction probably would.

My friends mum has traffic lights outside her house. 80% of her status updates are public information announcements about the traffic. She says this way people don’t keep messaging her

I wouldn't, for pollution and noise levels alone. Vehicles standing idle with engines running then revving up to pull away is very different emmissions and noise-wise to a constant flow of traffic running at speeds efficient for engines and making more of a background hum.

Yes if you are on a bus route because they will all stare into your house when it stops at the traffic lights.

What sort of traffic lights? Will it make getting into and out of your house extremely frustrating? I just admit there’s a house on a 4-way junction for sale near us and there’s no way I’d buy it. Tiny but daily annoyances are like water on a rock, they wear you down over time.

How busy is the crossing? Is it a pelican one (beeps every time people cross)?

We looked at a lovely house but it was also right next to a very busy set of lights - lots of traffic stopping and waiting on the other side of the garden wall. We didn't buy it due to the noise and traffic fumes.

It depends.
Does anyone in your family have asthma?
How well do you sleep? If you need quiet and dark then no.
Traffic starting and stopping can be more disruptive than constant flow. But it doesnt bother some people, and triple glazing would take out a lot of it. It also depends on position and distance from the road, if there are trees infront etc. Could you easily get out and in the drive if there is one or parked otherwise?
Visit at rush hour and night time and see what you think. I wouldn't necessarily rule it out

been there, regretted it. Nothing like being woken up in the middle of the night by a chirping crossing

I have a pelican crossing outside my window. I hate it at night, even though I have a blind and curtains I see the flashing of lights on/off on/off. Other than that I don't notice the traffic much. It gets busy at school times but other than that it's okay.

Traffic idling waiting for the lights to change - I wouldn’t personally.

I lived on a Main Street as a teen and although you get used to the general noise of traffic flowing past, the idling traffic is really annoying.

Yep. Totally mad.

Idling traffic = higher levels of pollution right outside your door. Definitely avoid.

It depends on how busy they are.

Idling traffic is really disruptive. I lived on a busy road - traffic noise not a problem, very easy to zone out. However when a set of temporary lights appeared a few yards down the road the noise from car engines and radios/music blaring out was really intrusive. I'd never live near a set of lights.

It depends how busy it is and how bothered you are by noise!

nope as it would be on a busy road which I would never live on due to cats

All I can hear in my head when I think about it is a maniacal BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP which would likely drive me to killing any pedestrian daring to cross toward my house.

I've lived by traffic and I would never do it again. Don't do it. There's a reason it's under budget

Thank you for all your responses, yes it's on a bus route, not in London though so not as busy, its a busy road though. Ahhhh second viewing tonight so will update!

I know someone who lives on a busy junction. They keep blankets in the porch for the road traffic accident victims whilst waiting for ambulances to arrive.

In 10 years time of all cars are electric you’ll be laughing. Could you cope with it until then?

I live on a fairly busy road and due to cars being parked there’s a lot of stopping and starting as cars have to give way to each other. It’s considerably more intrusive than the times their isn’t a car blocking half the road and the other cars can just drive past.

Definitely check it out at different times and perhaps speak to the neighbours.

Your skirting boards will be filthy very quickly!

Would depend on how busy it was in the evenings/overnight/weekends. Are the bedrooms front or back, will you want windows open during the summer etc - all that pollution blasting straight in would give me pause. You’d probably get used to the noise fairly quickly - A beeping pedestrian crossing would be more of a dealbreaker for me I think!