Traffic island with missing bollard

[Dog Star]

Situation is as shown in the pics below. Should the second island (without a bollard) have one fitted?

Should there must be guidelines on this type of thing; that looks dangerous to me, there's plainly provision made for a marker bollard but none has been fitted; what if a cyclist or motorcyclist hit that at night?

[Antony Moxey]

Dog Star said:

what if a cyclist or motorcyclist hit that at night?

They might like to question what they were doing in the exact centre of the road to hit the thing, and why their lights had apparently stopped working.

[rpguk]

It doesn't look right, but I'm not sure it's hugely dangerous. There is plenty of indication that the Island is there (road markings etc).

Is that space for the light filled in? Or could it just be some students have come along and taken the bollard?

[Dog Star]

rpguk said:

It doesn't look right, but I'm not sure it's hugely dangerous. There is plenty of indication that the Island is there (road markings etc).

Is that space for the light filled in? Or could it just be some students have come along and taken the bollard?

It's never been fitted; there's just a steel cover.

As to why someone would be positioned there - easy; there's a parking space across the road and it's a one way street.

[AA999]

Dog Star said:

what if a cyclist or motorcyclist hit that at night?

Failing to notice those big white lines in the middle of the road, then they probably deserve pain if they caused themselves a mischief by running over the kerbing.

Not sure what a bollard would offer as an improvement to be honest?
Something else for them to hit maybe?

One-way road with no right turn, therefore cars with lights and a driver with his/her eyes open should not be of concern, a cyclist, with it being a left turn only should not be on that side of the road - unless intentionally holding up traffic

[Riley Blue]

The sensible solution would be to take out the whole square of kerbing to reduce the clutter at the junction.

[55palfers]

The sensible thing (in these austere times) would to have not built it like that in the first place and saved some council tax for a better use.

[Snowboy]

IMO - yes, it should have a reflective marker on it.
Even in daylight it's not easy to see.

I could imagine a bike (motor or cycle) could end up hitting it.
Or a car passing a cycle could.

[sanguinary]

I hit one like that, that was covered in snow. I was passing a wagon, that had parked up parked up just before it, and assumed that it was just snow in the centre of the road. It made a right mess of the underside of the car, not to mention wrecking a wheel, suspension strut and inner wheel arch. That was only at 20 mph too.

[ging84]

This thread should win an award. Have you mever seen a small section of raised kerb without a bollard on it before? You back to mumsnet

[FiF]

Is this a one way street with a contra-flow cycle lane? If so then there is no requirement for a keep left sign if my interpretation is correct.

See Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 3 page 150. link

Diagram 17-3 refers

[Who me ?]

Dog Star said:

rpguk said:

It doesn't look right, but I'm not sure it's hugely dangerous. There is plenty of indication that the Island is there (road markings etc).

Is that space for the light filled in? Or could it just be some students have come along and taken the bollard?

It's never been fitted; there's just a steel cover.

As to why someone would be positioned there - easy; there's a parking space across the road and it's a one way street.

Most of the older type ( plastic upright cover ,with keep left ) had a light underneath. The modern version had a steel plate with a reflective plastic bolted on to it. The keep left sign was in reflective. Locally we had spates of the new type of reflective bollards being vandalised- some new game by mindless morons according to our highways dept. A new type of more vandal proof one are now fitted. I notice OP lives in Lancs ,where a similar reporting system ( from LCC SITE) exists to my own County. What i do ( instead of asking a question on the net ) is to go on to my county highways site and REPORT IT. If as OP says, he lives in Lancs -try this
http://www3.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/atoz/a_to_...

You will find that if you help them and are found to be accurate, you'll get an e mail giving a reference and thanks. The County Highways DO not have a crystal ball, and though they do a lot of road checking for potholes and signs, they also rely on us reporting the likes of this.

[FiF]

Looking at the second picture it's a steel plate and not one of the ones with a light flush to the surface over which a plastic bollard is clipped, until the next time some wag decides to remove it.

I think, per my earlier post, no bollard is required.

Which looking at the design and construction of the bit of the island, ie metal plate over some sort of hole suggests someone couldn't make their mind up.

Better imho to have binned the idea for the contraflow cycle lane altogether and save a bit lot of money.

[Who me ?]

FIF- I'd agree with you, but locally we've had a lot of side streets on one road made into alternative one ways,( one is entry only, next is exit only) . I use a route through this area as an alternative to a few gridlocked streets. And at the way out of the one way system - yep, you've guessed - there's one brain cell Oliver sitting in the middle of the one way street, trying to turn right, into a gridlock, with a left turn no problem . Fit a bollard with a platform and Amoeba driver might be forced to move right, leaving space for a car to turn left. TBH- I see a need for a lot more divisive bollards,as more and more drivers seem to have forgotten ( or as in the case of the learners I see, living close to a test centre) NOT being taught the road positioning for a left or right turn .

[FiF]

Agree with the increasing inability to position properly for right turns out of one way streets. Had one the other day where despite me being positioned correctly and indicating someone pulled up on my left also wanting to turn right and seemed completely surprised when I pulled out and turned as indicated.

Mind you they could have been confused into thinking it was two way by the number of itinerant metal trader owned Transits that go up it the wrong way!

[Who me ?]

AH- FIF- we drive on the left. The metal blokes drive ,almost anywhere they can get away with. Dependant on which country they think they are in .

[Red Devil]

FiF said:

Looking at the second picture it's a steel plate and not one of the ones with a light flush to the surface over which a plastic bollard is clipped, until the next time some wag decides to remove it.

I think, per my earlier post, no bollard is required.
efuge
Which looking at the design and construction of the bit of the island, ie metal plate over some sort of hole suggests someone couldn't make their mind up.

Better imho to have binned the idea for the contraflow cycle lane altogether and save a bit lot of money.

I'm not so sure. Diagram 17.3 shows only a single raised section on which the sign and furniture are mounted, not two with a pedestrian refuge in between them. I think this moves the goalposts. The one nearer to a driver approaching the major road could well be deemed an additional hazard requiring a marker.

Just saying...

[PAULJ5555]

Why would you be over the solid white line to hit it?

[henrycrun]

Report it to the CC online.

[elanfan]

I reckon the reason for the second concrete pad is that it was intended to creat a 'pedestrian refuge'. Don't know what provision of bollards should be if this is the correct scenario.