New lights make area safer

There has been a great deal of coverage in this newspaper regarding the new traffic lights and pedestrian crossings installed at Ketley Dingle roundabout, which has been getting progressively more and more hysterical in tone.

Last week under the front page headline "Apology called for over lights", local councillor John Dixon made what, without doubt, was the silliest statement that I have ever seen committed to print for many a long year, when he said: "You can drive around a roundabout at 1am, and there is nothing near you, but you have to stop at a traffic light, which is an unnecessary use of electricity and seems a complete nonsense to me."

That is a situation that can occur at any of the thousands of sets of traffic lights throughout the UK, even in the centre of London, at say, Hyde Park Corner, but this is hardly a sensible reason for their removal.

I have driven through the interchange many times since the lights were installed at different times of the day and certainly I have had my share of red lights, but at least I have felt much safer, not having to avoid idiots speeding round the island. The area is now much safer also for cyclists, pedestrians and mothers with children.

The local council has a moral and more importantly a legal duty to make our roads safer and has no need to apologise.

The only one who needs to say sorry is Councillor Dixon.

Mr P Lineton, Wellington