Roundabouts

DESPITE what Messrs Capon and Moore believe (Mailbox May 9), your previous correspondent Mr Kirby is correct in what he says about procedure at roundabouts.

It is obvious that, whatever the exact wording in The Highway Code, ‘’... give way to traffic already on the roundabout’’ is the same meaning as ‘’...give way to traffic (coming) from the right’’; it is implicit in the code that ‘’traffic from the right’’ is traffic that is ‘’already on the roundabout’’. Mr Kirby’s statement should not cause any confusion - to refer to him as a self-proclaimed expert making ‘’clearly incorrect statements’’ seems rude and argumentative.

To my mind ‘’give way to traffic already on the roundabout’’ sums up the procedure perfectly well - if drivers did this and indicated correctly there would be fewer accidents.

BARRY WORRALL

Cotswold Close, Portishead

Recycling

THE recycling centre in Portishead is great.

I pass the gates on a daily basis and I actually use the centre at least three or four times a week. The site is always clean and tidy, and the staff are always pleasant, smiling and very helpful too. So congratulations and thanks are due to all staff working there.

However, there is a problem with the plastic recycling.

The container for plastic is only for plastic which had contained food or drinks.

Where does one dispose of all the other plastic items? Crates, garden chairs, children toys, buckets, toilet seats, pipes, guttering etc. Are all these to be dumped into the ‘non-recyclable items’ container, later into landfill sites, and remain there, for hundreds of years, instead of being transformed into a range of new products?

The role of a recycling centre is to ‘recycle’ not to ‘dump’.

Can we, in Portishead, have a container for rigid or other plastics, please?

The people using the recycling centre are very meticulous and rather than throwing their items into ‘non-recyclable items bins’, would much prefer to recycle their hard plastic into one ‘hard plastic container’.

Would you please bear this in mind, as summer is nearly here, and more hard plastic will find its way to the recycling centre.

MRS T ROBYNS

Valley Road, Portishead

Success

THE recent improvements to the A369/M4 interchange at junction 19 appear to be a considerable success.

I have approached the junction from different directions and at different times of day and have yet to experience any significant delay. Excellent.

That said I simply cannot understand why the westbound approach on the A369 has been ‘blessed’ with a two-plus lane. I presume common sense and road safety has been sacrificed to demonstrate the green credentials of an individual or group of ‘eco warriors’.

Doubtless they are sincere in their objectives, however the effect is to produce a potentially dangerous ‘scissors crossing’ situation with northbound M5 traffic containing several souls turning right into singleton similarly-bound drivers very close to the roundabout and worse, southbound singletons cutting across to the left. Add to this those singleton drivers turning left onto the Portbury Road, well short of the roundabout and only just past the end of the two-plus lane.

Caravans and articulated lorries do not bear thinking about. It is a recipe for disaster – or at the very least an accident waiting to happen.

Surely it would be wise to alter the lanes to M5 South, Portishead and M5 North, efficiently sorting traffic into the correct lanes well before a busy junction.

Eco-warriorship has its place – but not at the expense of public safety.

Does anyone agree? Has anyone already had a ‘moment’ or worse?

Just a thought, somewhat radical, how about those who created, promoted or supported this two-plus madness paying the full cost of accidents clearly and demonstrably ascribed to the arrangement, thus saving unfortunate road-users expense, and loss of no-claims. That should generate some reaction.

DAVID OYNS

Lake Road, Portishead

Vulnerable

I WOULD like to direct this letter to the person who stole my sister’s purse from her bag on Friday April 27.

She was shopping in M&Co, in the High Street, Portishead. She is 80 years old, very small and slightly built.

She was obviously being watched by the thief, as when she took her eyes off her bag for a split second, the purse was taken out of her bag.

I’m sure the thief was very pleased when they realised that they had stolen �100. Equally they must have been very pleased when they found my sister’s ‘partially sighted’ card in the purse - a very easy target for them, with no chances of identification.

Let me assure this thief that justice comes to people in many ways and this ‘person’ will get their punishment for such a despicable crime on an old and very vulnerable lady. Some time, some way in the future it will come.

JAN SHEARGOLD

The Garstons, Portishead

Surprised

MY HUSBAND and I were fortunate to be taken to Weston recently when we saw the new pier for the first time since it was rebuilt also the improvements to the sea front, sea walls, etc.

We were pleasantly surprised. Well done North Somerset Council.

MRS JUNE ALDER

Hallam Road, Clevedon