What a load of bollards!

If, after watching the Winter Olympics, you were tempted to experience the thrills of the downhill slalom, you can get a pretty good feel for the sport by talking a brisk walk through Newport's Commercial Street.

Newport city centre is inherently a very pretty city, architecturally at least. The buildings that line Commercial Street are particularly beautiful and both visitors and locals appreciate them. Of course, there are the occasional ugly cuckoos, such as the Littlewoods building, but while these scar the line of the street, the general feeling as you look up is of a city with character and beauty.

When you lower your gaze, it all falls apart.

It's not so much the shop fronts themselves, these are generally OK. Most retailers understand that an attractive façade makes all the difference in tempting shoppers. Where Commercial Street falls apart is in the mess created by the various necessary and unnecessary street furniture. By 'street furniture' we're not just talking about seats and benches, but all the other stuff - signs, phone boxes, telecoms boxes, bins and, most menacing or all, bollards.

What is it with Newport's addiction to bollards where they're not needed? Commercial Street has been pedestrianised since 1986, and with statues guarding either end, there's no way traffic could access it. So why all the bollards?

Even in areas where traffic does have some access, such as Bridge Street through Cambrian Road, and at the bottom of Stow Hill through Skinner Street, the number of bollards is overwhelming. Seriously, what are we protecting against here? Is there really that much risk of cars drifting too close to shop fronts or mounting pavements?

The infestation of bollards serves to make the whole city centre one big mess. Furthermore, they are inconvenient and you have to keep your wits about you, especially if pushing a pram.

Of course there are some areas where, it could be argued (at a push) that some bollards are necessary, for instance opposite the Queens Hotel and outside the old Pizza Hut. Traffic is banned throughout the day, so retractable bollards are raised to close the street off. But just look at the way this has been presented, with dramatic orange lines painted on the road, yellow-topped bollards, striped raised bollards, warning lights... A touch overkill perhaps? All that's missing is a machine-gun post to make sure we get the message.



More warnings than you'll find on the access road to the Pentagon?

The combined impression created by the street furniture along with the artistic stuff such as statues, is one of complete disarray. Harsh yellow-topped bollards hover around the base of statues like so may hoodies. It's unnecessary and messy.

If you move a few yards down the street pictured above you reach the full-on pedestrianised area. Here we have plinths with statues and ornamental street lights. There is no way a (sane and sober) driver would ever think they could drive down here, but still, just to make sure we have yet more unnecessary bollards.



The chap on the phone needs to pay attention if he's to avoid that bollard he's walking towards...

As you turn into Cambrian Road (the heart of Newport's night life) you are presented by an avenue of bollards. Remember, this is a road where traffic is largely restricted through the day and where the majority of traffic will consist of taxis on a Friday and Saturday night. Most revellers pay no attention to the difference between road and pavement at these times, so the bollards are ineffectual anyway.

How much better, neater and fresher would Cambrian Road be without all these bollards?

There is an alternative solution to the somewhat dated idea of separate roads and pavements - one that many countries across Europe are successfully engaging with. 'Shared Space' sees traffic and pedestrians allowed to integrate without the need for raised pavement or even signs. By the use of different coloured and textured paving materials, drivers and pedestrians are subtly guided. Sharing the same space each takes more care, with demonstrable reduction in accidents.

For more information on Shared Space see this article I wrote a few years' back on behalf of Brett Landscaping.

Shared Space delivers neater, more effective and more pleasant urban environments. Newport needs all three of those. It certainly doesn't need hundreds of pointless, ugly and inconvenient bollards.

Here's an idea for Newport City Council... pull up all the bollards, and melt them down to make a tribute to the Chartist Movement. Just please, less with the bollards eh?