'Don't be put off'

CONCERNED traders in Portishead say the ongoing moans about the controversial Cabstand traffic lights is having an adverse affect on business.Portishead Chamber of Trade and Commerce president Ron Hazelton says he fears people are being put off from visiting and shopping in the town because of the constant moans about the traffic lights system.Mr Hazelton says since the council tweaked the lights and installed a new computerised system to ensure they worked better, queues at the junction have reduced dramatically.Mr Hazelton said: "The lights are not the chaotic shambles which some people have been led to think they are."Initially there was no doubt they did cause problems, but now they are far better and we are not seeing the same long queues as we once did."We as traders are very worried that all this negative talk about the lights is putting people off coming to Portishead."We need people to stop moaning and promote what is good about the town."There is the Lake Grounds, the marina, the shops and plenty of free parking for everyone."North Somerset Council confirmed it had not received many recent complaints about the lights.Council spokesman Steve Makin said: "We have received correspondence from residents in Slade Road with regards to the issue of the lights. We have kept resident groups informed about what could be done and are currently looking at a safety scheme at the junction of Combe Road and Slade Road."The Cabstand road system cost £800,000, with work on the project being completed earlier this year.Residents said the lights were problematic and caused huge jams throughout the High Street.A protest was organised calling for the lights to be removed where around 2,000 people marched through the streets of the town.