Cabstand lights to stay in place - for now

PORTISHEAD’S controversial Cabstand lights will NOT be used as part of a new congestion busting scheme at a roundabout in Weston super Mare.

The Evening Post revealed last year that council highway chiefs were considering ripping out the Cabstand signals and using them as part of a scheme to improve traffic queues at the Hutton Moor roundabout in Weston super Mare.

The Cabstand signals, which were installed in 2004 at a cost of £800,000, have remained switched off and covered following a trial to turn them off in September.

Council chiefs undertook the trial after residents in Portishead said they were fed up with the large traffic queues caused by the lights.

The trial has been hailed a huge success, with no reported accidents and traffic moving more freely through the town.

The work in Weston-super-Mare will start in April, but council bosses have said the lights from Portishead will not feature in the scheme.

Instead the Cabstand signals will remain in place until Easter at least and new, hi-tech lights will be used for the roundabout scheme.

North Somerset Council deputy leader and executive member for planning and transport, Councillor Elfan Ap Rees, said: "We were considering the option of using the Cabstand signals in Weston-super-Mare, but the timing is not right.

"The Cabstand lights will be left in place in Portishead for the time being and we will not be using them as part of the Weston scheme.

"We have not set a date for removing the Cabstand lights because we are still looking at what exact improvements we are making to the area.

"Once we are satisfied with the work planned for Cabstand then we will look at removing the signals."

The work at Hutton Moor, which is costing £160,000, will take four weeks and be completed before the main tourist season gets underway.

The scheme involves widening the carriageway and re-marking the roundabout to increase its capacity, and extending the right-turn lane into Hutton Moor.

Mr Ap Rees added: "This work is aimed at overcoming the significant traffic congestion experienced at peak times on the Flowerdown Bridge approach and the Maltlands.

"I must admit that initially I was reluctant to look at a traffic-light option, but computer modelling based on real-time traffic flows and the modern technology now available has convinced me that this is the best solution.

"At the moment the roundabout has unbalanced flows at the entry points and this leads to significant delays, especially for incoming traffic to the town.

"This scheme is yet further evidence of our investment in the highway network and Weston-super-Mare, and will reduce congestion and the frustration among motorists that it causes."

The Cabstand lights have been a bone of contention with residents ever since they were installed.

There have been two public marches through the town calling for them to be removed.

The Conservative-led authority pledged to re-examine the issue of the lights as part of their election pledge in 2007. The lights will eventually be recycled and used at another site in the district.