Traffic managers at Bristol City Council have said "never say never" to a trial switch off of lights in the city.

The Evening Post was invited to the Urban Traffic Control centre in Stokes Croft to discuss our Put That Light Out campaign.

The campaign was launched last week with a simple aim; to reduce the number of unnecessary traffic lights in the Bristol area, and see them switched off either permanently or at off peak times.

City council traffic manager Terry Bullock and traffic signal manager Adam Crowther talked openly about Bristol's traffic problems.

They offered a glimmer of hope to the campaign which has received backing from readers, MPs and councillors.

Westminster Council is currently taking part in a trial switch-off of dozens of lights in the London borough.

Asked if something similar could happen in Bristol, Mr Bullock said: "We never say never, but it needs to be thought out properly.

"We don't like putting in signals, despite popular belief, we put them in for safety or capacity reasons.

"If there are alternatives we do look at them.

"I wouldn't say we couldn't take some out, some are 30 years old.

"It's fair to say some of the lights are not efficient. If we had money to upgrade them we would upgrade and improve them.

"It is likely to be more dangerous if we take them out. I always say: 'what if it was your mother or grandmother crossing the road?'"

Safety is the main concern for the officers when considering any removal of traffic lights, and the needs of elderly or disabled pedestrians.

Mr Crowther said: "We never look at one situation – the buses, drivers and pedestrians are all interlinked.

"If we don't prioritise buses, cycling and pedestrians, traffic will get worse because people will just use cars.

"You can't please everyone; we have limited road space.

"We're not trying to stop people driving but we're trying to balance the needs of all road users."

Those who back the call for fewer traffic lights point to towns in Holland that have adopted the shared space philosophy, which minimises road markings and puts responsibility squarely on the shoulders of drivers.

Mr Crowther said: "You've got to be careful comparing Holland to Bristol, or a small town to a city. There is not enough research. To say 'switch them off, let's see what happens' is hard to deal with as an engineer."

● We want to know what you think. If you could remove one set of traffic lights in Bristol, what would they be?

To submit your suggestions, send us an email, call 0117 934 3330 or write to Bristol Evening Post, Temple Way, Bristol, BS99 7HD.