Closed
Request For Wooden Safety Bollards
Sent to West Northamptonshire Council less than a minute later. ref: 8507381.
Please can wooden safety bollards / dragons teeth be installed along the edge of this section of verge on the Crescent.
As can be seen a large heavy vehicle has recently driven right over the verge and along the channel where winter plants had recently been planted and destroyed them.
These plants and generously donated and planted by a local resident so it is very upsetting to see them being destroyed.
Also the vehicle came very close to the pavement and there is also a wooden telegraph pole situated in the verge.
I feel there is a safety issue and risk to pedestrians and property / infrastructure that warrants the installation of wooden bollards in this area.
I will also be emailing the Towcester Ward WNC Cllrs to raise this issue with them directly.
Updates
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Thank you for your enquiry, concerning a request to install bollards in the grass verge on The Crescent, Pattishall.
This is a really frustrating problem for many of our rural communities, particularly at this time of the year where the verges soften and become more prone to rutting. It is unfortunate but West Northamptonshire Council do not have the financial resources to continually reinstate grass verges on the basis that they may look unsightly and as such we are unable to consider remedial works such as bollards, hard-standing or other preventative measures and will only intervene in exceptional circumstances, where the problem has become a proven safety concern to either road users or pedestrians.
If the verge becomes damaged to the point that it is considered to be a safety concern then this can be reinstated through our maintenance programme. The issue with this is that it will soon become damaged again if vehicles continue to overrun the verge. If the existing road is not wide enough to accommodate large vehicles when passing, any bollards which are installed within the verge would simply be knocked over. Requests for posts or bollards to be erected to protect the verge in order to stop overrunning will not be considered except on safety grounds to persons using the highway or to self-enforce an existing restriction.
Whilst it is appreciated that members of the public rightfully want to retain the appearance of their villages, the planting of grass verges within the Highway Boundary is only permitted under licence by our Regulations team. This does not mean that all areas of grass verge and highway open space should be covered with planting. The highway is there to enable the public to pass and re-pass and it is the duty of West Northamptonshire Council to protect and uphold this right. Visibility at bends, junctions and accesses must be protected and plenty of room should remain for pedestrians to use as a refuge if there is a need to get off the road to avoid vehicular traffic. It is therefore necessary to carefully consider planting proposals to ensure that the public with not be endangered or inconvenienced by such schemes. While we may include some planting in new road schemes, the majority of planting within the highway is promoted by Parish Councils and Community groups. The authority promoting the planting scheme must accept they have an ongoing and perpetual maintenance liability.
I appreciate this may not be the response you were hoping for, but it is often a difficult balance to maintain the verges to the standards expected, as once they are reinstated, they will soon become damaged when vehicles are forced to overrun them due to pinch points created by parked vehicles or the inherent layout of the carriageway which was not designed for today’s traffic movements.
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