The County Council’s Highways Department have installed temporary bollards mid-way down St Catherines Hill, as a trial scheme to prevent large vehicles from continuing down the hill, getting stuck, and damaging the house to the east of the Hill. The bollards are 2.5 metres apart, which is wide enough for emergency vehicles but narrow enough to deter anything larger.
Any change such as this brings teething problems as motorists get taken by surprise. As a result of the pandemic Highways have got much better at just trying things out to see if they work. The benefits, (and disadvantages), will emerge as people get used to it, and the results of the trial can be used to decide what’s right in the longer term.
If the scheme is successful, permanent bollards will be installed at a later date, probably with warning signs of the width restriction, and formal consultation.The Town Council has been campaigning for something of this nature to be done for nearly five years, and sees this as a welcome development.
