BOLLARDS + bikes = nowhere to park . . .I refer of course to North Street, Okehampton. With the installation of the contraflow cycle-path.

In North Street, the two new traffic control bollards have been erected to protect the cyclists from local 'access-only' traffic leaving Northfield Road turning left into North Street and heading towards East Street.

As the entire length of North Street is now of restricted width it has become necessary to ban traffic entering North Street from the North Road direction (emergency vehicles excepted).

This traffic ban has been clearly marked by a 'No Entry' sign and 'No Entry' painted on the road surface.

I have noticed, however, that the No Entry sign on the post has been covered over, the result of which has allowed traffic to freely flow from North Road into the chaos of North Street.

Now, picture this incident as witnessed by myself. A 'Mondeo' mother with her child on the front seat on their way to school. Mother driving with one hand, using her left hand to tune the radio, whilst looking at her make-up/hair in the interior mirror.

Travelling at about the legal limit for a built-up area she drove through the then no entry point, came face to face with a new bollard in North Street and a cyclist not in the cycle path cycling towards her car.

Did the mother slow down? No. So, I have asked myself, and other residents have commented, why, when new traffic discipline is installed, is the discipline not enforced from day one?

Now people using this route don't know where they stand legally. There have been several 'near miss' situations since the scheme has been installed and the boy racer element have been enticed to practise their 'chicane thrashing' skills.

North Street residents have through this scheme lost four car parking places for which replacements were to be provided at the North Street end of Northfield Road. These spaces, it must be said, have now been marked out as a no parking area.

I ask the local planners to rethink the latter because without the replacement parking spaces it will be just one more 'bullet hole' in the foot for Okehampton. 'Park early for Christmas' and no cheating by using police yellow cones.

Mike Griffin, resident

North Street

Okehampton