On Monday night I was contacted by residents in Park Avenue, and a few others from nearby streets, asking why the safety bollard at the bottom of the public footpath running down the middle of the street had been lowered. I explained that the bollard had been dropped down temporarily on personal grounds.
By way of background to this issue, last Friday afternoon (5 July) I was contacted by a family member of a resident from Park Avenue asking if I could arrange temporary access to the footpath. Considering the personal circumstances I contacted the highways office at county hall immediately to ask if they could make arrangements for the bollard to be lowered on a temporary basis.
I was told on Monday that the bollard had been lowered for the time being.
In response to residents’ concerns I’ve been assured that the bollard will be raised again at the appropriate time. In the meantime please make every effort to keep the footpath in the middle of Park Avenue clear of obstruction and open to emergency access at all times.
Since last Friday I've been in direct contact with a family member dealing with this issue and I will continue to maintain direct contact with the family member until this matter is resolved.
Given there appears to be some confusion about how and why the bollards were installed in the first place I've re-posted background details in this link. The link includes further links to additional information about this issue: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2022/11/drop-down-bollards-at-park-avenue.html?m=0
If you have any comments or specific queries about this matter please contact me direct at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk