An explanation has been provided after residents spotted a strange yellow structure pop up on a pavement in Leigh Woods. There were concerns about the brightly-coloured 'cage' blocking the way for pedestrians, and North Somerset Council has confirmed that it will be removed as it is "not suitable".
The council clarified that it is installing the first roadside charging station for electric vehicles in the district, with plans in the pipeline to roll out further charging points along other roads. It said the yellow frame was a "temporary installation of a prototype frame for protecting an on-street electric vehicle charger", which will not be staying.
Bristol Walking Alliance had questioned the appearance of the yellow structure on social media, receiving many comments in response. One commenter tweeted: "It's yellow so it must be ok. Joking aside this is p***poor 'value engineered' design & placement highlighting the fundamental incompatibility of EV charging infrastructure on UK streets."
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Another described it as "very weird" while a third added: "Is the metal cage to stop pedestrians walking into it and causing damage?"
One Twitter user replied: "That looks like an inappropriate use of walking/wheeling space - which is also access to buses. There is guidance about this, but probably the best example you can follow is Lambeth’s excellent kerbside strategy. Safeguard your footways NOW."
North Somerset Council has since confirmed that an EV charging station is going to be installed at that location on the pavement. A spokesperson said the yellow structure will be replaced by bollards.
The statement said: “The yellow structure was a temporary installation of a prototype frame for protecting an on-street electric vehicle charger. It’s not staying as our highway officers have decided it’s not suitable.
“We are arranging for it to be removed ASAP. Bollards will be used instead to protect the EV charger." The council confirmed that the planned charger “will be located on the pavement with the bollards adjacent to the kerb line".
The statement continued: “This is our only planned on street charger at the moment. More sites will come forward when funding applications are confirmed. The Leigh Woods site is a prototype and the temporary charger protection will be removed next week.
“More work will be done to test and find better arrangements before any large scale roll-out and we will be working closely with Bristol City Council who will be leading across the West of England Combined Authority area."
Councillor for Leigh Woods, Ashley Cartman, will be checking the width of the pavement, but said it was likely prams and buggies would still have enough room to use the pavement once the charger is installed.
He said: “This is the first one in North Somerset. It’s not imminent but there has been a lot of work and planning going on behind the scenes for the last two years."
He also confirmed two black bollards will replace the yellow prototype, which is going to be removed. He said these will be more in-keeping with the surrounding area.
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