A city of York councillor has waded into a review about bike bollards on Heslington Road after several students reported that they suffered severe injuries falling over them.
Green Party Councillor Dave Taylor, who represents Fishergate, arranged a meeting into the “death trap” bollards last Sunday.
The action was prompted following a post by third-year student George Hughes on social networking website Facebook, which contained a picture of the bollards with a description of “death trap/work of satan.”
Students flooded to the post to comment about their experiences, with stories about broken collarbones to broken bike chains being reported.
YUSU President Kallum Taylor commented: “I thought it was just me doing something wrong because I’ve thought the same thing myself.”
I’m an awful person…
PLEASE don’t get rid of these bollards. Last year I was walking on to campus from Green Dykes Lane, down the little slope-y bit towards Wentworth, and as I was crossing over to go down the cycle path to Wentworth, a guy on a bike attempted to zoom in to campus at 6000 mph on his cycle. As he did so, the “death trap/work of Satan” bollards caught him out and he ended up falling off his bike in front of a busy and large 9:14am group of students.
I was having a really crap day and felt like rubbish, and this incident (because I am an awful person) immediately cheered me up and I walked with a spring in my step and a smile on my face for the rest of the day.
Sometimes when I’m feeling rubbish I will walk by the bollards and remember this incident and then instantly start laughing about it.
If you get rid of them, please can I have them.
These bollards do what no SSRI ever has.
Those bollards have been there for ages, years even. They were placed there (perhaps by Satan, indeed) to slow cyclists down. To get through them, you need to have your pedals in a particular position, and just take it a bit steadier.
If you are lucky enough have a cyclocross bike, the pedals are higher from the ground, and you can get through at speed.