Call for Torquay town centre traffic barriers as rogue drivers flout the law

Rogue drivers taking an illegal short cut through the centre of Torquay are putting lives at risk.

Torbay Council has been urged to stop drivers using the pedestrian-priority Fleet Street by installing a bollard or a barrier which could be raised and lowered to allow buses, taxis and emergency vehicles through.
But the council says it would be too complicated and expensive.
Cllr Mandy Darling (Lib Dem, Tormohun) said her mailbox was filled with messages from people concerned about unauthorised traffic in the busy street. She said police had suggested a barrier system like those used in places like Cambridge and Bath.
She said it could avoid an accident which she feared was just waiting to happen.
“The police have made a suggestion that works elsewhere in the country and I don’t see what else we can do,” she said.
But Cllr Adam Billings (Con, Churston with Galmpton) said while the council was ‘very aware’ of the issues, a rising bollard similar to those in Cambridge and Bath would be expensive to install as a network of pipes and cables just under the road surface would have to be moved.
A rising barrier would mean less disruption, he said, but would restrict access for cyclists.
And, he added, it would be hard to prioritise funding for the obstacles as they could only work for certain times of the day.
Before 10am they would have to be down to allow for deliveries, and after that they would be up and down on a regular basis to accommodate buses and taxis.