Pedestrians fear Cabstand plans

15 July 2009

PEDESTRIANS in Portishead are furious over proposals to switch off traffic lights at a busy junction in the town.

North Somerset highways officers are looking into the possibility of turning off several sets of lights at the busy, controversial Cabstand and High Street junctions for a four-week trial at the end of August.

This would return responsibility to the motorists and implement common sense road use, however, pedestrians say their lives will be put at risk.

Business owner Rosemary Wesley said: "Removing traffic control at these junctions is one thing but removing the pedestrian crossing facility is another.

"These are very busy junctions that link the town centre with homes, a primary school and a leisure centre, I fear for people's lives, especially children and anyone with mobility problems."

Mrs Wesley is herself a mobility scooter user and she says one of the busy junctions involved is the only place with dropped kerbs, enabling her to cross Cabstand.

She added: "It is impossible for those with mobility scooters or wheelchairs to cross at a safer point further up the road because there are no dropped kerbs, so if this trial goes ahead it will be near impossible for me on my scooter, to reach the High Street where my business is."

Mum-of-two Juliet Morgan-Jones said her children rely on the pedestrian crossing.

She said: "If my son is going to school or to the shops, I insist he always uses the pedestrian crossing on Cabstand, there is much too much traffic coming from all directions for youngsters to cross without a crossing."

Donna Addy who has four children agrees.

She said: "The thought of children crossing these particularly busy junctions without a pedestrian crossing terrifies me and like me, I think many parents will feel they can no longer allow their children to take this route on their own."

If the trial goes ahead, a 20mph limit is likely to be introduced at Cabstand during the four weeks.

CCTV cameras will also be installed to monitor traffic flow and ensure the trial is working safely.

North Somerset Council deputy leader and executive member for highways and strategic planning, councillor Elfan Ap Rees said: "These trials, which have taken place in other areas, were brought to our attention by local councillors who asked us to investigate the possibility of doing something similar in Portishead.

"We have had a meeting with our highways officers and decided it was an idea worth testing."

A safety audit will now be carried to ensure the trial is safe before a final decision on the experiment is made.