'People power': Residents celebrate after 'unwanted' Leicester bollards are removed

Barriers that had been placed across several roads in Evington in Leicester as part of a traffic management plan, have been removed by the City Council, in what is being hailed as a victory for people power.

Residents had complained that the bollards - which literally overnight made several streets one-way last summer - were put in without any consultation, and were actually making traffic problems worse.

The traffic management trial had turned the whole of the Rowlatts Hill area into a one-way system - but now the Council has declared the experiment over, removing the bollards.

"The majority of people did not want these installed"

Resident John Grimley said:

"They've rode rough shod over the people. The majority of people did not want these installed but the council didn't want to listen, they just went against it all, and basically didn't listen to the people.

"So now power to the people that we've got them removed."

Shah Ali, another resident said:

"We feel really really let down at times throughout this whole campaign, but you know they've seen sense, they've finally listened.

"But throughout this whole process they've wasted a lot of money".

The aim of the bollards was to reduce cut-through journeys and increase walking and cycling.

Leicester City Council said their removal was not due to push back from residents, but from the results of a survey that had always been part of the plan.

But not everyone is happy to see the bollards go.

Resident Francis Lobo says they could signal the return of the "bad old days" of traffic build-up. He says:

"Well it is a worry because it's going to increase the amount of rat-running that still goes on one way now it's going to be both ways.

"It's going to deteriorate (my quality of life). For the last five years I've been asking for this to be done. It's been done, it's been successful and now without any consultation the council is taking it away."