Business owners in the Paget stoplight area have expressed the need for a greater police presence and have urged motorists to slow down.

Two cars and a motorcycle collided at the junction of Middle Road and South Shore shortly after 12.30pm yesterday, leading to traffic delays in the area, although the Bermuda Police Service said the accident was not serious.

According to local businesses, it was the latest in a string of collisions over the past few months.

George Stovell Sr, manager of RUBiS gas station in Paget, told The Royal Gazette: “I would say that this spot is very prone to accidents. There was one just last week up the hill here, so we get a few.

“I don’t really think there is anything that can be done about it because people are going to do what they want to do. They want to overtake on the inside, not pay attention.

“I don’t think much can be done to change the junction but what they do need in the area is police, because you have people on bikes going towards town that ride on the inside which causes accidents.”

Mark Henneberger, owner of Sticks and Stones, agreed that cracking down on bikes using the third lane makes a difference.

“Our window has been struck three times this year. People need to slow down. The bikes need to start riding on their side of the road and stop overtaking because they all think that because traffic slows down here, there’s a third lane going around and people hit the traffic light at 50km by the time they get here.

“I don’t think there’s really anything that can be done: the roads can’t be widened, people just need to slow down.

“The lane way is always difficult for people coming out of our parking lot in particular because the amount of traffic that’s on the road now. People just get impatient trying to wait for a spot in traffic to get out.”

Mr Henneberger also recalled an accident a year and a half ago in which a woman crashed into his window at 3am.

“There are tyre marks on my wall from two incidents that have happened in the past two months. A car struck this wall two weeks ago. Most of the accidents happen early mornings, people coming home from nightclubs or wherever.

“I come to work and I would say that every other weekend I have glass or fibreglass outside from people striking the building or the wall in front of us.

“I definitely agree that there should be a police presence here in the mornings. For a while when they were really cracking down on the third lane bikers, I did have a few police bikes here.

“Just them being here slowed everything down but I mean. We can’t pay for them to be here all day. If you’re doing the speed limit there’s no problem, people are just too impatient.”