Chamber president Natasha Driscoll said the chamber was the voice of its members and couldn’t say where they stood as a majority on the issue, but she said they all agreed it would cause traffic congestion.

“Some members strongly disagree while others are in favour,” she said.

“But, we all agree that traffic congestion and gridlock will occur.”

“During peak season, mainly Christmas and Easter, the traffic congestion will become a nightmare.

“However, the pedestrian flow of traffic during this time will be a lot smoother and allow tourists to move through the city centre with ease.”

She said lights would help pedestrians have access to shops, but, “We need to remember the solution needs to work for residents and business 365 days a year, not just during peak season”.

Earlier this year, council accepted $150,000 worth of funding from Roads and Maritime Services for the traffic lights, which council will match from its paid parking funds and works program savings.

A council study recommended lights were needed at the intersection to improve pedestrian safety in the CBD.

It is hoped the lights will be installed within this financial year.

While Ms Driscoll said the chamber believed lights would improve pedestrian safety, she said more research needed to be done.

“Berry has the highway through the main street and yet there are no pedestrian crossings or lights here,” she said.

“We are still discussing options but to help the traffic congestion an exit from the Village Centre directly onto the highway is needed.

“To tie in with this we believe further research should be done.”

The Chamber sought comments from members to forward to council this week.