By Tom Cotterill and Mark Branagan
Published: 04:59 EST, 9 September 2023 | Updated: 03:24 EST, 10 September 2023 Residential Bollard
Villagers have been outraged after lines of 'eye sore' thigh-high wooden bollards were cemented into the pavement outside their homes by health and safety bosses.
Council workmen arrived without warning a fortnight ago to install the wooden posts in front of most of the houses on the street, which includes a secondary school entrance.
Abbey Grove in Well Lane, Willerby, a suburb of Hull, East Yorkshire, has an unusually wide pavement, wider than a car.
The pavement runs in a dip between the front gardens of the houses and the road, which is up a steep grassy bank.
Halfway down the street is a snicket used by kids attending Wofreton School and Sixth Form College, which has its site behind the houses.
Fuming villagers have been left outraged after these thigh-high wooden bollards were installed by health and safety bosses in Willerby, near Hull. Pictured is Tony Cherry
Council workmen arrived without warning a fortnight ago to install the wooden posts in front of most of the houses on the street, which includes a secondary school entrance
Abbey Grove in Well Lane, Willerby, a suburb of Hull , East Yorkshire, has an unusually wide pavement, wider than a car. The 2ft 6in tall bollards run all along it (pictured is an aerial of the street)
Following reports that motorists were not only parking on the pavement but driving along it, the council hammered dozens of 2ft 6ins tall wooden bollards all the way along it.
The residents claim this has made things worse rather than better because have to pull straight in and out of their driveways rather than being able to turn round.
They fear the lack of space to manoeuvre will make it harder for those reversing to spot passing children mean there is 'an accident waiting to happen'.
They have also complained there were plenty of space to park on the road above which the Mail witnesses when it sought the views of residents.
Karen Wilcock, 41, said: 'I do not dislike them but for the residents they are a bit ugly. We used to pull our cars down here. It is easy to crash into if you are a kid messing about on a bike.
'They are a bit scruffy. We hope once they have weathered a bit we are hoping they will blend in more. It was very busy with the school kids so I can see why they have done it.'
Bob North stormed: 'To me, it is more unsafe down here now than before they did them. The reason is cars park on here and with all the hedges they are backing out blind.
'If someone is in a rush one morning to get to work and kids are running up and down it is an accident waiting to happen if they back out quick.
'There was not many cars parked down here anyway - only about four of five. At least they could see in the mirrors before they set off rather than backing out blind
Local Karen Wilcock, 41, branded the unsightly bollards as 'ugly and scruffy'
The pavement runs in a dip between the front gardens of the houses and the road, which is up a steep grassy bank
Furious Bob North raged the bollards had now made the pathway more unsafe. He is pictured with his wife Janet
'They have in a fortnight. It is a mess. It looks bloody awful - and a waste of money. Why did not just put a post at one end and a post at the other with some no parking signs.
'It would have been a lot cheaper with all these councils going bankrupt. They should have spent the money fixing potholes. They have just made it more dangerous.'
Nodding in agreement, wife Janet North added: 'The problem is a lot of people have had driveways put in. We have not bothered. We have parked on the road for 40 years.
'We have already seen a lad leapfrogging over them. It will also be difficult now for ambulances to get down to certain houses - and a hard job to get patients up the slope.'
Lesley Ward, a few doors down, said: 'They are an absolute eyesore. There was no need for them and they have made a real mess of the hedges putting them in.
'But what can we do? It is already done and I don't think they will remove them now. It looks like a rush job.
'We would have preferred as residents for them to spend the money resurfacing the road. They say they have fixed it but they have just patched it up and put these eyesores here.
'All they had to do was put bollards at either end of the pavement or at least space the posts out better so they are no obstructing people getting in and out of their driveways.'
Willerby resident Lesley Ward with dog Frankie who have spoken to the Mail Online about how the council have installed unsightly bollard outside his home
Lesley branded the bollards an 'absolute eyesore' saying there was 'no need' to install them
An aerial view of the street shows the bollards dotted along the pathway in Willerby
Tony Cherry, 60, added: 'I can see why they have done it because of all the kids coming through this way on their way in and out of school.
'People used to park on the pavement when they could just as easily have parked up on the road and you used to get construction traffic driving along the pavement too.
'I am not saying it was a bad idea - it is just the way they have done it.'
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?
Karl Elbeck (pictured), 47, was furious at the installation of the bollads and branded it a 'complete and utter disgrace'
The 'eyesore' bollards run the length of the street and have left residents outraged
'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, added: '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.'
One neighbour, 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?'
Another disabled resident added: 'They look terrible because they are blocking the pedestrian access. They look like they should be MKM not on the street.
'If they do not keep them repainting they are going to start going mouldy in the winter and look even more of an eyesore.
'No one in a wheelchair or mobility scooter can get past. I would not go down the road in a wheel chair because they have sharp edges and you would bang into them.
Other concerns have been raised about how the bollards will affect disabled people using the pavement
'They might have reflectors but people will still bang into them in dark. Toddlers will also run into them.'
East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: 'Following complaints we received from parents taking children to the school on Well Lane 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 vehicle 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.
'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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