Beware the bollards warning after six cars hit

Drivers have been warned to beware of a network of rising bollards in Leicester city centre after six vehicles were hit in the space of a fortnight.

Leicester City Council has replaced existing bollards and installed new ones in 18 locations surrounding the pedestrian zone in the city centre over the last few months.

Since they were reactivated two weeks ago, six vehicles have collided with the bollards, five of which were damaged.

A council spokesman says CCTV has shown all the vehicles hit had tailgated others and issued a reminder for motorists to follow the rules when passing through the rising barriers.

In the latest incidents, two vehicles collided with the rising bollards in High Street in quick succession on Thursday morning.

The first, a silver Mitsubishi SUV was left with a blown out tyre, while the second, an Audi A6, appeared to be more seriously damaged, with debris and electrical wires left on the road after the impact.

One eyewitness, who did not wish to be named, said: "The bollards are really sturdy, like they're an anti-terrorist measure.

"They've not been working for a long time and a lot of people don't know what to do when they drive up to them.

"If people drive up to them when a car is already going through, they don't realise they need to stop."

A Leicester City Council spokesperson pointed out there were red signs at the bollards warning drivers not to tailgate others.

He said: "There have been six incidents of vehicles colliding with the new automatic bollards since they came into operation two weeks ago, resulting in damage to five of the vehicles.

"In each case, CCTV evidence shows that the driver was tailgating, and that the warning light was on red.

"We are content that the new system is working as intended. Signage is in place warning drivers to be careful and avoid tailgating at each of the sites, along with stop and go lights and audio warnings.

"Around 800 to 900 vehicles will enter the city centre pedestrian zone through the new automatic bollards on a typical weekday."

However, extra yellow temporary signs warning motorists not to tailgate were put in place at the bollards in High Street on Friday afternoon.

The council has issued the following directions and guidance for all motorists in relation to the rising bollards:

• Only residents, businesses and drivers making deliveries are allowed to pass through and need to use a PIN code to gain entry outside allowable hours.
• The allowable hours are 05:00 to 11:00, except on Saturdays when the hours are reduced to between 05:00 and 09:00.
• One-time use PIN codes can be issued to those with legitimate reasons for accessing the zone outside of the allowable hours.
• The automatic bollards rise immediately after a vehicle has entered the pedestrian zone to prevent tailgating and warning signs and red lights are in place to alert drivers of the risk.
• The bollards will only allow one vehicle through at a time.
• After entering the code to retract the bollard, every driver should wait for the green light and must not chance it by tailgating the previous vehicle.

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