Bollards Options

[Blake]

Has someone hit the bollards in the town center again?

How many times has it been now. Seems to happen almost twice a month.

[GreenGerkin]

Hi,

I have been reading in the NWN about how many people are being caught out by the bollards, and that they are damaging their cars, etc. and they should be removed. I would just like to stand up for the councils decisions to put these bollards there. They stop traffic coming through the town, it was a major problem, and extremely dangerous, to all pedestrians, especially children.

Now back to the people ramming the bollards...
Right, when someone hits the bollards they say that there is not enough signage. I had a look as I walked past the other day. Coming from Bartholomew Street there are 6, yes SIX sogns saying either danger rising bollards or no entry to the town centre for cars. Seriously how do you miss this many signs?????? If you are on the road but cannot read signs you really should retake your driving exam, I'd put money on it that you would fail.

In my opinion, if you choose to wreck your vehicle on the bollards there should be some sort of fine for this. I would go for a fixed penalty fine for hitting the bollards, then a fine for criminal damage of the bollards, and then a bill for the cost of fixing them.
If this would put in place, I could almost guarentee that the number of people criminally damaging the councils property with their cars, because they couldn't be bothered to add an extra 3 minutes to their journey would be cut majorly.

Rant over for the time being....

Thanks

[Guest_Never Again!_*]

Hi,

I have been reading in the NWN about how many people are being caught out by the bollards, and that they are damaging their cars, etc. and they should be removed. I would just like to stand up for the councils decisions to put these bollards there. They stop traffic coming through the town, it was a major problem, and extremely dangerous, to all pedestrians, especially children.

Now back to the people ramming the bollards...
Right, when someone hits the bollards they say that there is not enough signage. I had a look as I walked past the other day. Coming from Bartholomew Street there are 6, yes SIX sogns saying either danger rising bollards or no entry to the town centre for cars. Seriously how do you miss this many signs?????? If you are on the road but cannot read signs you really should retake your driving exam, I'd put money on it that you would fail.

In my opinion, if you choose to wreck your vehicle on the bollards there should be some sort of fine for this. I would go for a fixed penalty fine for hitting the bollards, then a fine for criminal damage of the bollards, and then a bill for the cost of fixing them.
If this would put in place, I could almost guarentee that the number of people criminally damaging the councils property with their cars, because they couldn't be bothered to add an extra 3 minutes to their journey would be cut majorly.

Rant over for the time being....

Thanks

You really have missed the point here.
1. You walked to an area KNOWING about the traffic accidents occuring there after having read this thread.
2. You were therefore specifically LOOKING for signage to prove your point.
3. Because you were WALKING, you had all the time in the world to stand and make notes on the signage. A luxury drivers don't have.
4. That being the case, and seeing as you you have studied the area so closely, could you tell me where the signs on Market Street are saying which lane I was supposed to be in to get to the Kennet Centre Car Park please? Probably not because you weren't looking for them. You weren't paying attention to all the signage were you??

I ended up in what I now know to be a bus lane when I actually wanted to be in the car park lane. I couldn't change lanes because of the kerb between the two lanes. I couldn't reverse back into oncoming traffic either. I was trapped into continuing in the wrong direction. In retrospect I still feel I made the safest and most sensible decision to go back round the one way system to get back to the car park. IF I had got through the bollards, I would have quickly realised my mistake, but doubt very much whether I would have posed any greater risk to the pedestrians than all permitted vehicles in the area. I would have accepted a fine and points on my license.
There have been 11 incidents since the beginning of the year. Eleven (not the 100 per day you suggest) more cars going through the area over a 5 month period does not increase the risk significantly to the pedestrian. Unlike the bollards, which have written off and/or damaged all of those cars and I'm not sure how many of the drivers have been injured.
It is not acceptable to transfer the risk of injury from one party to another.
In most work places you have to fill out Health and Safety Forms even when you've merely had a near miss. All the near misses haven't even been accounted for in this case. Bill1 has already witnessed a couple. The fact that these are not recorded is negligent on the part of WBC. It would lend weight to the argument that the road layout is appalling and needs to be redone.

Anyway......my 2004 reg car has been written off. The lady at the garage that did the assessment said it looked like a bomb had gone off under my car. I'm just glad it missed the petrol tank.

Incidentally, there have been two fatalities in Manchester linked to the rising bollards. I hope you are satisfied.