Camden Council has this week added extra steel bollards to a closed off street in Fitzrovia to prevent recidivist rat-running drivers using the pavement to get around the street closure. Drivers of cars were seen to use the pavement to get around the bollards that were placed across Warren Street after the road was closed to through traffic in March last year.
Now the council has added additional bollards to prevent motorists getting around the street closure. Not only has an extra bollard been fitted each side of the street but several other bollards had been fitted along the street in an effort to prevent drivers using the pavement.
Residents have also reported drivers using the pavement to get around the closure on the south side of nearby Fitzroy Square.
This week a bollard near the entrance to University Street successfully prevented a lorry being driven over the cycle track along the street. The driver after crashing his vehicle into the bollard got his lorry jammed. The police closed the street while the lorry which had become impaled on the bollard was jacked up before being towed away. No other vehicle or person was involved. The driver had a minor injury.
Since December 2013 Camden has a borough-wide 20 mph speed limit.
Peter B says: “It is good to see that Camden Council has listened to the irritation and disruption, at all hours, to Warren St residents, and some neighbouring streets, caused by rat running along Warren St and has now properly installed bollards to prevent pavement riding. The plan put forward by Howard House & Cleveland St (north) Neighbourhood Watch comprehensively took into account issues for residents but also for small businesses. The second part of the Watch plan called for some market stalls, properly managed, at this point to attract footfall, particularly from Regent’s Place and UCLH to help the Warren St small businesses. It doesn’t have to be the case that residents have to be at odds with community minded business.”