Bollards meant to control traffic in Market Square and Bridge Street are still out of order, raising safety concerns for pedestrians in the area.
Worcestershire: The bollards that are supposed to keep traffic out of Market Square and Bridge Street have been out of commission for over three years. It’s causing some serious headaches, with one councillor saying it’s turned into a ‘rat run’ for cars.
Councillor Emma Stokes has been on this issue for ages, asking for a sensible fix since she got elected in May 2021. She’s really worried about the safety of pedestrians, and honestly, who wouldn’t be?
The county council is in charge of getting these bollards fixed. They’ve finally found some new contractors after the last ones didn’t work out, but they’re still waiting for quotes. It’s been a long road.
Stokes expressed her frustration, saying, “It’s just a complete travesty.” She’s been working with the county and highways teams, but it feels like they keep hitting dead ends. It shouldn’t be this complicated, right?
She added, “There’s no timeline for when the bollards will be fixed, just a constant request for them.” It’s a real shame that it often takes a serious incident for action to be taken.
Stokes is particularly concerned about safety. “We need to avoid any accidents, whether it’s a car collision or something else. It’s just common sense.”
Even though there are signs warning drivers, it seems like people just ignore them. Stokes is eager to see this resolved and believes they’re getting close to a solution.
The council hasn’t given a specific timeline yet but mentioned that work will kick off as soon as they finalize the contract. A spokesperson said they’ve reached out to several contractors and are now waiting for quotes to move forward.
