Villagers’ fury over ‘eyesore’ bollards that were installed on footpath to stop them parking outside their homes after complaints from parents taking their children to school
- One local described the bollards in Willerby as ‘a complete and utter disgrace’
Villagers have been left furious at ‘eyesore’ wooden bollards installed on a footpath to stop them parking outside their homes.
Abbey Grove in Willerby, Hull, which forms part of the same street as Well Lane, boasts a particularly wide pavement, which locals say has long been the subject of debate as to whether it is a path or a road.
Many had taken to parking their vehicles on the pavement, owing to the shortage of on-street parking and the lack of driveways cut into the steep verge that runs adjacent to the street.
However, following complaints from the parents of children at a nearby school that people were driving along the footpath on Abbey Grove, East Riding of Yorkshire Council has now installed the wooden bollards to ‘ensure the safety of pedestrians’.
The town hall claims that residents were informed in advance and were ‘offered the chance to pay to have a vehicles access installed to their homes’.
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Karl Elbeck, 47, described the bollards in Willerby, Hull, as ‘a complete and utter disgrace’
They were installed following complaints from the parents of children at a nearby school that people were driving along the footpath
Residents explained that there had never been an issue with the pavement being blocked by parked vehicles, dismissing the introduction of the bollards as an ‘unnecessary eyesore’ and ‘a waste of money’.
One resident asked how his disabled father-in-law could be expected to navigate the steep verge now that he cannot park next to the house, while others lamented the thousands they would have to spend to have a driveway installed thanks to the bollards.
Karl Elbeck, 47, said: ‘These bollards are a complete and utter disgrace. There hasn’t been an accident down here since the 1970s so why are the bollards necessary? I have a disabled father-in-law and now we can’t park the car next to the house for him to get out.
‘In winter, this grass verge is an ice rink, so how on earth is he supposed to get down it safely? The same goes for delivery drivers. What am I meant to do about it if I can’t afford to spend thousands having a driveway put in?
‘This is such a pretty area, but these bollards are an absolute eyesore. We can kiss bye-bye to our house prices now. All of the work is half-arsed as well, you can see the tarmac coming away. The stopcock outside my house has suddenly started overflowing since the bollards were put in, too.’
Jim Dennett, 74, said: ‘It’s a disgrace, they put them in yesterday to stop people parking outside their own homes. The council seem to get these ideas into their heads but I just don’t think this has been thought through.’
Another resident, who would prefer to remain anonymous, said: ‘It’s ridiculous, how are we expected to sell our houses now with all these horrible posts here? The work seems very poor too, as a lot of the tarmac is crumbling away.
‘It seems to me like the complete wrong investment – residents would have been far happier if they’d dug out more of the verge and given everyone a driveway to park their car. If they end up putting double yellows on Well Lane, where will any of us park?’
One resident, who already has a driveway, still felt the bollards were an unnecessary waste of money.
One resident asked how his disabled father-in-law could be expected to navigate the steep verge now that he cannot park next to the house, while others lamented the thousands they would have to spend to have a driveway installed thanks to the bollards
The council said residents were offered the chance to pay to have a vehicles access installed to their homes to help them park their cars
She said: ‘It’s all a bit silly, isn’t it? It just feels like a moneymaking scheme from the council to me. No one ever got their cars blocked in before, and it wasn’t unsafe, so it feels like they’re just pressuring people to get driveways put in.’
A spokesman for East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: ‘Following complaints we received from parents taking children to the school on Well Lane, Willerby, that people were driving along the footpath between Ashgate Road and Bellfield Drive, the council has installed wooden bollards in the path to ensure the safety of pedestrians.
‘Local residents were informed of the move by letter in advance and, as they are private houses, they were offered the chance to pay to have a vehicles access installed to their homes to help them park their cars. Several residents took up the offer.
‘At the same time, the council carried out some path improvements to the path, grassed verge repairs and installed some drainage to improve the path surface.
‘The work was inspected this week, was carried out to a high standard and has improved the path considerably.’
Responding to the claims of an overflowing stopcock and the difficulty faced by disabled residents to access their homes, the council added: ‘The site was visited on Wednesday and the stopcock wasn’t seen to be leaking. Any defects like this should be reported to Yorkshire Water.
‘These bollards have been installed to protect pedestrians, it is illegal for people to drive along the path.
‘Residents can apply for vehicle access. Anyone with a mobility aid can still travel along the path to their homes unhindered by the installation of the bollards.’
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