By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
There are concerns profit is being put before safety by installing automatic number plate recognition cameras instead of rising bollards in Gloucester city centre.
New Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras were put up in the gate streets recently after complaints from residents, businesses, police and councillors about drivers flouting no-parking rules in the area.
Drivers caught breaking the rules and driving in Northgate, Eastgate, Southgate and Westgate Street face a fine of £70 – reduced to £35 if paid within three weeks.
But questions have been asked this week as to why rising bollards have not been used instead as councillors were given a presentation on Gloucestershire County Council’s parking plan at the environment scrutiny committee.
Councillor David Willingham (LD, St Mark’s and St Peter’s) asked whether the reinstatement of rising bollards would be better to help protect pedestrians.
“Back in 2017, [Google] Street View shows the rising bollards were working,” he said.
“Rising bollards physically stop vehicles going into the gate streets. Why didn’t we keep maintaining the rising bollards?
“We seem to have been left with the previous administration’s poor decision to compromise physical safety of rising bollards and move to something that doesn’t actually enhance safety but makes money – in that situation.
“It really concerns me, it’s happened in Cheltenham, it’s happened in Gloucester.
“But other big cities like Cardiff have got rising bollards to keep pedestrian areas pedestrianised.
“You only need to look at things that happened in places like Liverpool. One angry driver.”
Officers said it was tricky for them to respond to the question about bollards.
However, they said the request for the ANPR cameras was driven by Gloucester City Council to stop the number of cars travelling up and down the gate streets.
And so far they have seen a reduction in the number of motorists using the gate streets.
Parking manager Andrew Burford said: “What I have noticed is since we’ve done the communications and put the new signage up we have seen a marked improvement on the number of people driving down there.
“It perhaps indicates that the more publicity you do on these things, the better outcomes you get.”