Businesses and residents in Hamilton Parish are seeing red over new traffic lights at the Swizzle Inn.

They say the huge lights, which appear bigger than those in Hamilton, are an eyesore which will offend tourists and locals.

Works and Engineering installed the lights outside the popular bar earlier this year, but locals complain a pedestrian crossway is all that is needed.

Swizzle Inn owner Jay Correia, former United Bermuda Party Senator Noela Haycock, who lives opposite the bar, and St. George's Mayor Henry Hayward say the lights create the wrong impression for visitors heading for the new World Heritage Site at the Old Town.

And they say they are a poor introduction to the Island for tourists who cross the causeway from the Airport.

Works Minister Alex Scott said the lights are essential for pedestrian safety and they will not be coming down.

He said they had to be so tall so vehicles approaching from the bottom of Blue Hole Hill would know there was a crossing.

Mr. Correia told The Royal Gazette : "I'm disappointed. Aesthetically, it's awful. You have a nice tropical Island like Bermuda and the first thing you notice are big traffic lights.

"And the fact its in front of my business isn't appealing. These lights going off all the time while people are eating takes away a little bit of the country charm.

"Speed bumps would have been better to encourage the traffic to slow down...

"In the past I thought it would be a good idea to have a crosswalk because of the volume of traffic and I suggested it to Works and Engineering.

"Their opinion must have been that in order to have a crosswalk you would need lights.'' Mrs. Haycock said: "That's the gateway to Bermuda and it's crazy that the first introduction is so offensive.

"If you start at the bottom of Blue Hole Hill, the first thing you see is that new gas station being built, which is horrible.

"It's insane putting traffic lights there, and they're huge -the last thing Bermuda should be promoting.

"The next parish down they've been given World Heritage Status and some people will be coming to Bermuda for that.

"I don't know what Works and Engineering is doing putting in those stupid lights - you could have them on the M6, they're so big.

"I spoke to the Department of Environment and it seems Works and Engineering can override anyone. They don't have to go to planning, so what's the point of having planning rules if they don't apply to everyone, including Works and Engineering.'' St. George's Mayor Mr. Hayward said: "It's absolutely disgraceful. Going both ways, westward and toward the St. George's World Heritage site, prior to the desecration it was quite attractive.

"I was so disturbed, I called Works and Engineering who said the crossing was at the top of the hill, therefore out of view of the cars coming over the hill. I've since looked around at Prospect and other areas and they have zig-zag lines that warn there is a crosswalk.

"It doesn't look right, and the policy of the previous government was that traffic lights would only be put in areas that are absolutely essential.

"But it's outside our jurisdiction. I was hoping some people in the area would take action and try to get them taken down, and I would certainly support that.'' But Mr. Scott insisted the lights will stay because they are essential for safety, and Government could be open to a lawsuit if it took them down and there was an accident.

He told The Royal Gazette : "There are tremendous ironies here. I am surprised the complaint should come from businesses who generate a considerable amount of pedestrian traffic because it is their safety we are ensuring.

"It may not be the most aesthetically desirable, although I don't necessarily agree with that, but it is a main traffic thoroughfare and I can't, on the whim of a member of the public, go against the recommendation of a highway engineer who has used a standard solution.

"All tourists are very familiar with traffic lights and I'm sure they would rather leave Bermuda knowing there is one more traffic light than not leave Bermuda at all.

"The locale is so far away from St. George's that I won't dignify the complaint that it takes away from St. George's as a heritage site.

" I would leave myself open to a lawsuit for the first person injured at the crosswalk because we would have had available to us a warning device that was ignored.

"Individuals in the area wanted a pedestrian crossing and when we mentioned we were proceeding by way of lights, no one complained.'' TRAFFIC TFC