Incompetence

Firstly, the residents of Slade Road have had to suffer the brunt of traffic problems caused by the sheer incompetence of North Somerset Council with the new Cabstand.

We have suffered a massive increase in traffic volumes on a totally unsuitable residential street.

Not only does this make the road more dangerous, but we also get verbally abused by other motorists for parking our own cars, as it adds 30 seconds or so to their journey.

In places the road isn't wide enough to accommodate two cars travelling in opposite directions, so this results in a large number of drivers driving along the pavement, rather than wait a few seconds for the other to pass.

Within the last fortnight my wife and six-year-old daughter have had to come to a stop whilst walking along the pavement as a car was also on the pavement and being driven towards them!

The situation is so bad that a neighbour cannot walk with her children to school in the mornings on the pavement outside the Workingmen's Club because so many cars drive upon it.

Then there's the damage caused to parked cars, the lorries that get stuck on a regular basis and the speed that some motorists travel at.

And what about the reduced quality of life for the residents?

But perhaps most importantly, is the increased danger at the Slade Road/Avon Way junction.

There have been several serious accidents at this location since the new road layout. It is only a matter of time before someone is killed.

Is it just a coincidence that these accidents have occurred since we have had the increased traffic?

So, the issue of alterations to the Cabstand is a very distant second compared to the need to solve the problems of Slade Road.

Alan Woods - Slade Road, Portishead