Protecting Our Pedestrians, Pavements and Properties

Added on 25 August 2015

The Rambler is extremely concerned about the replacement of our damaged, permanent bollards by so-called 'spring-back' items.

Whilst he appreciates that councils are everywhere under financial restraint, this policy is neither sensible nor safe.

The original bollards were installed to prevent vehicles mounting the pavement in Main Street and have been a real asset in this regard - before we had these bollards pedestrians were threatened by inconsiderate drivers illegally using our footways as part of the road. The pavements in our village are in very poor condition and driving heavy vehicles over them hardly improves this. Several of the older properties in Cold Ashby are situated close to the footway and the possibility of damage to these should be considered.

For most of the year the original bollards do an essential job by protecting us, our friends, neighbours and housing from HGVs and other vehicles.

However, during the harvest period, particularly (though not exclusively), over-sized agricultural vehicles routinely use the pavements and are known to damage our bollards.

The fixed bollards are a good deterrent (even though these vehicles have recently succeeded, again, in destroying two of them and the footway) whilst these replacement 'spring-back' plastic markers are no deterrent whatsoever to large vehicles which simply drive over them – the first marker to be installed is already showing signs of damage.

The perpetrators of the latest damage to one of the remaining fixed bollards (pictured) did not stop to consider what they had done or attempt to lessen the hazard to pedestrians - this was left to villagers to clear up in the immediate aftermath.

Our Parish Council is to be commended for its commitment to retaining permanent fixed bollards for the protection of villagers and village properties (see August Draft Minutes on the Parish Council's Library Page) and needs support from the community in this matter.