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LTN bollard replaced after vandalism disappears less than 24 hours laterOxford LTN bollard vandalism (Cllr Charlie Hicks/Twitter)

LTN bollard replaced after vandalism disappears less than 24 hours later

A local councillor shared a photo of the damage: "Someone decided their convenience to drive down a side street past a primary school was more important than children's safety walking and cycling to school"...
by Dan Alexander
Sun, Mar 13, 2022 10:31
6

A low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) bollard in Oxford, recently replaced due to vandalism, lasted just 24 hours before being targeted again, allegedly by a road user ramming it off the road where it was stopping motorists drive past a primary school.

On Thursday, Cllr Charlie Hicks proudly shared the news that the Temple Road bollard, in the Cowley area of the city, had been installed.

 "The bollard survived less than 24 hours," the Labour councillor reported on Friday, asking Thames Valley Police to look into the vandalism or theft.

"Someone unilaterally decided that their convenience to drive their car down a side street past a primary school was more important than children's safety walking and cycling to school, using their car to ram and take it out," Cllr Hicks said.

Oxford LTN bollard vandalism (Cllr Charlie Hicks/Twitter)

The vandalism saga dates back to March 2021 when a foldable bollard was first installed to encourage cycling and walking on the road which runs past St Christophers Primary School.

However, last month it was vandalised, before being reinstalled on Thursday, prompting the councillor to ask for a more "robust" alternative to stop vandals ramming it off the road, as is believed to have happened to the previous bollards.

The majority of LTNs in the Cowley area of the city were installed in March 2020 under an Experimental Traffic Order to reduce congestion by preventing rat-running drivers cutting through quieter roads.

The Oxford Mail reports the scheme has proved controversial, with "ardent supporters, campaigning for quieter, safer streets" opposed by traders who say the scheme has had a detrimental impact on business.

It is not the first incident of anti-social LTN vandalism in the area however. Last May an anonymous DJ put up a ÂŁ1,000 reward for the safe return of a gnome stolen from an LTN planter on neighbouring Salegate Lane.

The reward was accompanied by missing posters calling for the gnomenapper who took 'PC Plod' to return the decorative policeman to his planter.

Oxford
LTN
Dan Alexander

Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.

Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.

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6 comments

Avatar
matthewn5 | 2 years ago
1 like

There's one in the Amwell LTN in Islington that's constantly being vandalised. The council are now removing the bollard and installing camera enforcement. This also has the advantage that the emergency services can drive through it too.

Avatar
JustTryingToGet... | 2 years ago
5 likes

Next months mortgage payment says that the prick that did this also describes cyclists and other vulnerable road users as 'entitled '.

Avatar
Rome73 | 2 years ago
3 likes

'opposed by traders who say the scheme has had a detrimental impact on business'

I bet they have no evidence to support that. 

Avatar
lonpfrb replied to Rome73 | 2 years ago
0 likes
Lukas wrote:

'opposed by traders who say the scheme has had a detrimental impact on business'

I bet they have no evidence to support that. 

In the age of sat-nav fitted to most vehicles it makes no sense that a customer could not find a route to a preferred shop.

If that is really just an impulse purchase the shop hasn't done enough to be preferred so needs to try harder.

Either way, it's not worth putting vulnerable road users at risk, nor the impact of vehicle pollution on residential areas.

Avatar
Karlt | 2 years ago
3 likes

The Twaterati on That Bookface are of course applauding this act of vandalism, despite being the sort of people who usually want birching back for vandals.

Avatar
wtjs | 2 years ago
8 likes

Someone unilaterally decided that their convenience to drive their car down a side street past a primary school was more important than children's safety walking and cycling to school, using their car to ram

Of course! This is what anti-social scum are like

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