Melksham councillor, Jon Hubbard, is calling for bollards with decorative chains to be installed along the town’s notorious high pavement on Bank Street, to reduce the risk of accidents.
This follows a number of complaints from town councillors and residents that the area, which has a drop in some places of 3ft onto the main road, is ‘dangerous’, ‘frightening’ and ‘a nightmare’ for people living with visual impairment.
Cllr Jon Hubbard is taking the matter to Wiltshire Council’s Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG) and if the group is agreeable, then the matter will need to be considered by Melksham Town Council, which would need to part-fund the works.
The issue was discussed by Melksham Town Council in February 2020, then again in April last year.
At the time, councillors revisited the findings of a report carried out by Wiltshire Council in 2004, which resolved that the edge of the high pavement was not strong enough to support the weight of any railings and suggested a supporting wall would need to be built, in front of the existing wall, to provide a secure base.
An estimated cost for this at the time was £44,000 and councillors concluded that due to inflation, costs could now be around £100,000. Town councillors then agreed to investigate all possible solutions and find out if there is any new technology that could be considered to improve the safety of the area.
It was also agreed to refer the matter to LHFIG, the local highway section of Wiltshire Council, for their input.
“We have always been looking at load-bearing solutions previously,” said cllr Hubbard. “I’ve asked our team if we could look at a different solution that demonstrates a clear need to avoid the edge of the pavement and would provide a suitable warning to sight-impaired users that the edge of the pavement is an unsafe place to be.
“After visiting the site and discussing the matter, I enquired if it would be possible to erect regular bollards along the edge of the pavement, that were connected with decorative chains, so that there is a clear visual barrier – but not one that would encourage people to lean or sit on.
“This would mean that the barrier was not load-bearing and therefore subject to all of the issues previously highlighted, but would provide adequate protection.
“Early estimates suggest that the solution would cost somewhere between £30,000 and £50,000 but there are several factors that need to be confirmed before any final costings can be confirmed.”
The issue is due to be discussed by Wiltshire Council’s LHFIG team on Tuesday 7th May.
