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A petition calling for the removal of the bollards has some 450 signatures

Hundreds of people have signed a petition against the installation of traffic bollards by a Somerset bridge.

Complainants say the gap between the bollards, installed on Moor Lane in Worle to enforce a width and weight restriction, is too narrow.

They were installed last month and some 450 people have signed the petition calling for their removal.

North Somerset Council said it was monitoring the new measures by CCTV and would make adjustments if needed.

The bridge, which takes traffic across the railway line, is enforced with a width restriction and a three tonne weight limit.

The authority said the road and embankments were showing "signs of serious wear and tear" which was being added to by vehicles ignoring the restrictions in place.

It added the newly-installed bollards, which are 7ft (2.1m) apart, and a traffic light system would enforce traffic regulations and protect the road from further deterioration.

The petition claims the bollards are causing damage to vehicles and have isolated the village.

If you look at the map, you can see that the bridge should be better not used by motor vehicles as alternative routes exists for cars.  I love 'the village is isolated' bit.

Hmm. I hesitate to disagree with you, swrural, but from my local knowledge of driving in that area, neither Locking Moor Road nor Summer Lane are particularly attractive alternatives to the Moor Lane crossing over the railway line.

I accept that Locking Moor road is also essentially single track, but a full single tract width.

Thanks for that useful comment, richwarwicker.  ;)

Local comment is that the official measurement needs to be taken 'wing mirror tip to wing mirror tip', as there is anecdotal evidence that some drivers feel the need to stop before the bollards to fold in their wing mirrors before moving through the obstacle.

'A major cock-up': Tight squeeze bollards slammed by Weston drivers

Weston-super-Mare motorists are baffled by a council^s decision to install two traffic calming bollards barely wide enough apart to allow cars to pass through.

The yellow bollards, fitted in Moor Lane Bridge at the end of February, force drivers to come to a near standstill as they approach, and cautiously navigate their way through the gap. A number of motorists are believed to have had their wing mirrors damaged or knocked off by the bollards, which cost North Somerset Council almost ^10,000 to install.

Local residents have turned to Facebook to vent their frustration. Andrew Knight said: ^Chaotic, damaging, trouble as lights go green both ends - why not put a height bar instead? So many people have caught their mirrors - one lady had to reverse through causing damage to the whole side of her car!^

Meanwhile Georgina Hunt wrote: "I couldn't believe it last week. I understand calming traffic but it's slow enough on that bridge with one way traffic waiting for the traffic lights to change. I've only got a micra but it made me nervous god knows how bigger cars get through. The gap is ridiculous!!!"

Steve Crawford, who lives near Moor Lane Bridge, captured on video the problems motorists face. The clip shows cars screeching to a halt before slowly passing through the gap, while other drivers pull in their wing mirrors:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EugUUc4tvGU

Mr Crawford told This is Somerset: ^It^s a nightmare. It seems like an idea that has been thought up by someone who has not seen the bridge. It^s absolutely useless. Side mirrors on white vans and such are high enough that the bollards make absolutely no difference. I know people who have had their car wing mirrors taken off though. This is just such a major cock-up. It^s just not a good idea at all.^

Mr Crawford added: ^I believe they^re supposed to be two metres apart but it appears they have measured them two metres from the centre of each bollard rather than the inside measurement. They^re narrower than a garage door. It^s beyond extraordinary.^

Mr Crawford said he takes an alternative route to avoid the bollards. ^That^s more time and petrol,^ he said. ^m sure I^m able to drive through them but it^s the time you waste waiting for people in front to get through. The traffic lights are on a timer and motorists gingerly approach the bollards, then by the time they^ve passed the lights go red again.^

Another video clip captured by Mr Crawford shows three cars struggling to make it through the bollards before the lights change colour:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4R_NEQf-tjM

^It^s just a bad idea, and completely unnecessary in the first place,^ Mr Crawford said. ^It^s only a matter of time until someone crashes into the bollards and if you^re trying to pass through them at night, forget it^.

North Somerset Council says the bollards are necessary to ensure the 6ft 6ins width restriction and three tonne weight limit is abided by. In a statement it said the road and embankments on the approaches to Moor Lane Bridge are ^showing signs of serious wear and tear^. Vehicles are failing to obey the traffic width and weight restrictions, the council claims, which is ^adding to the deterioration of the road's condition^.

A spokesperson told This is Somerset: ^We are monitoring the situation. Cars have to slow down to navigate but cars can get through but large vehicles can^t. We have CCTV cameras there to monitor the situation. We are aware of the issues some people are having^.

The spokesperson also said the emergency services had been consulted over the bollards and did not oppose them because they do not use the bridge due to the existing height and weight restrictions.

Mr Crawford noted: ^Should they [the council] have any plans of repairing the bridge, there is no way that they'd be able to get road works vehicles or machinery on there past the bollards^.

Drivers struggle with new traffic bollards

Three out of the top five cars purchased in the UK last year would struggle to pass through new traffic bollards on a weakened bridge in Worle.

North Somerset Council has invested around ^10,000 to install bollards to protect the bridge in Moor Lane from heavy vehicles. The seven foot distance between the bollards has been set to prohibit most lorries passing through.

But official guidelines state the maximum width for permitted vehicles should be six inches less than the narrowest part of the road: a width of 6ft 6ins.

The most popular cars bought in the UK last year, according to a major motoring website, included Volkswagen Golf (over 6ft 8ins), Vauxhall Astra (over 6ft 7ins), Ford Focus (over 6ft 7inss) and Vauxhall Corsa (over 6ft 4ins). The best selling car, the Ford Fiesta, fits within the recommended measurements by 0.1ins either side.

A council spokesman said: ^We have introduced measures to enforce traffic regulations and protect the road from further deterioration. These include installing substantial bollards at either end of the bridge to enforce the 6ft 6ins width restriction and 3 tonne weight limit. Drivers should be aware of the weight and width restrictions. If vehicles are more than 6ft 6ins in width (from wing mirror to wing mirror) then they will be prohibited from accessing the bridge.^

Traffic lights over the bridge have now been synced with the new speed of traffic after many motorists were left facing a red signal when halfway over the bridge.

Plans were in place to close the bridge to all vehicles after nearby housing development Locking Castle was built. The plans were changed to allow restricted access as the alternative rail bridge in Old Mill Way had not yet been built.

The council said that these restrictions were often ignored by commercial vehicles putting the bridge at risk of collapse.