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"Tougher measures required": Low Traffic Neighbourhood planters repeatedly tipped over by vandals

Vandals, believed to be disgruntled motorists, have repeatedly targeted the wooden planters since their installation, prompting calls for them to be replaced by concrete structures

A Sheffield councillor has called for "tougher measures" to "stop the wanton vandalism of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods".

The comment comes following a recent spate of vandalism to the LTN planters in the Nether Edge and Crookes area of the city, which has seen planters repeatedly tipped over.

A photo of the latest incident, shared by Green Party councillor Maroof Raouf, showed the planter used to block the junction of Leamington Street and Townend Street knocked over on Saturday morning.

> Low Traffic Neighbourhood 'human bollards' step in following repeated vandalism

Cllr Raouf said: "It's a shame this is still happening in Crookes. Tougher measures are required to stop the wanton vandalism of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. The effects of any scheme can only really be seen once it has had time to bed-in."

 The planter was restored by residents, and the incident follows similar vandalism in Nether Edge last week. 

A six-month closure as part of Sheffield City Council's Active Travel Neighbourhood scheme began in Nether Edge on May 25, but has been overshadowed by the vandalism. In the week after installation, planters were damaged twice, with one central bollard being dragged away, the Sheffield Star reports.

In response to the vandalism, Cllr Raouf said he had asked the council to replace the planters with concrete barriers.

> Vandals target LTN bollards and planters less than 24 hours after trial is introduced

"Moving the bollards will lead to someone getting hurt quite seriously," he told The Star. "I think it's totally inappropriate and vigilante action is not the way to go about doing this."

Responding to Saturday's latest vandalism, he joked: "I want to wish them well in case they suffer any lower back damage.

"I would heavily advise they don't continue. If people are not happy, they need to use the appropriate avenues to feed back their views to their councillors and the council officers.

"It's important to remind people that this is an ongoing consultation and if the feedback is that people aren't happy then obviously we as councillors and also the officers need to take that into account."

Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.

Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.

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16 comments

Avatar
Mungecrundle | 2 years ago
3 likes

Install a nest of flesh eating termites in each planter.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Mungecrundle | 2 years ago
3 likes

Mungecrundle wrote:

Install a nest of flesh eating termites in each planter.

I'm not sure that you've quite got the message about making the neighbourhood safer for families

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
1 like

No, but it'd cut the congestion.

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Rich_cb | 2 years ago
3 likes

Don't see the problem with this.

Somebody has decided that they don't agree with the presence of these planters so has vandalised them.

It works for SUVs right?

Avatar
brooksby replied to Rich_cb | 2 years ago
6 likes

But SUVs aren't publicly owned and placed there by the council; they've been privately purchased by people who've been scared by adverts.

"Canyoneeeeeerroooooo!" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI_Jl5WFQkA

Avatar
Rich_cb replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
0 likes

If it's ok to vandalise property because you disagree with its presence then surely the actual owner of the property is irrelevant?

That is possibly my favourite Simpson's cut scene of all time and, like much of their best work, depressingly prescient.

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to Rich_cb | 2 years ago
8 likes

But these are the people's planters, comrade!  Not the private property of the bourgeoisie.... Damn, I've blown my cover again.

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hawkinspeter replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
8 likes

Also LTNs are designed to improve the environment whereas SUVs are quite the opposite

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Rich_cb replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
0 likes

LTNs are designed to benefit those living within them but may cause problems for those living outside them.

SUVs are designed to benefit those sitting inside them but may cause problems for those outside them.

Avatar
Car Delenda Est replied to Rich_cb | 2 years ago
4 likes
Rich_cb wrote:

SUVs are designed to benefit those sitting inside them and will cause problems for those outside them.

Fify

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to Car Delenda Est | 2 years ago
2 likes

Yup - there's definitely an element of design there.  "Built like tanks" indeed.  Soft on the inside, tough on the outside.  (Argh! Armadillos!).

If everyone bought a bigger motor would everybody's quality of life go up?  What about if everyone campaigned to have their local streets become part of a LTN?

Mind, given what some councils can do when given the task of designing cycle infrastructure...

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Rich_cb | 2 years ago
2 likes

Rich_cb wrote:

LTNs are designed to benefit those living within them but may cause problems for those living outside them. SUVs are designed to benefit those sitting inside them but may cause problems for those outside them.

Well, the "benefit" of LTNs are to reduce the noise, fumes and danger posed by motor vehicles using the neighbourhood as transit.

The "benefit" of SUVs are to clog up the roads and spew as much pollution as they can get away with whilst protecting the occupants from the danger that they introduce to the roads (also applies to other vehicles).

One of these things benefits society.

Avatar
EddyBerckx | 2 years ago
13 likes

"disgruntled motorists"? No. Criminals.

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hawkinspeter replied to EddyBerckx | 2 years ago
7 likes

Exactly my thoughts. It's not beyond the wit of people to anticipate that vandalism may occur, so just install a hidden camera or two and catch the culprits.

Avatar
eburtthebike replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
3 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

Exactly my thoughts. It's not beyond the wit of people to anticipate that vandalism may occur, so just install a hidden camera or two and catch the culprits.

With alarms and indelible dye spray.

Avatar
andystow replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
4 likes
eburtthebike wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

Exactly my thoughts. It's not beyond the wit of people to anticipate that vandalism may occur, so just install a hidden camera or two and catch the culprits.

With alarms and indelible dye spray.

And trained attack squirrels.

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