15 hours Ago
The Trief kerb on the corner of South Western Road and Fisherton Street was ‘renewed’ last year under a scheme to create a more welcoming environment for pedestrians when they walk towards the city centre from the railway station. Wiltshire Council said the kerb was designed to prevent vehicles mounting the pavement and replaced previous infrastructure on a ‘like-for-like basis’. But some motorists believe the kerb, which is on a mini-roundabout, has been made more prominent.
Several drivers have faced costly repairs after misjudging the turn and colliding with it, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage. Members of a Salisbury Facebook group where pictures of such incidents are frequently posted have since dubbed it the ‘killer kerb’. Hyundai driver Marshall Murray spoke to the Journal after a scrape in November (Image: Newsquest) Tom Curtress, 34, who lives in Berkshire, ‘pranged’ his Ford Focus at the raised pavement in March.
He had dropped his wife at the station after visiting Salisbury for a wedding and was heading towards the A303 when he scraped his car. Tom pulled over and took pictures and videos of the corner to show the problem – and captured a large BMW hitting the kerb, just 15 minutes after he did. He said: “It will be two new doors and some panel work.
It’s not exactly a bit of varnish and some paint work. “Other people will do the same thing; they will have a great weekend, drop someone off at the station, then prang their car.” (function (d, s, n) { var js, fjs = d.
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“It was an identical issue, coming from the station. It’s not just causing a little scuff. It’s causing dents.
“If you drive from the station, you can’t see the kerb from the driver’s side. “It’s a tight turn, and you don’t want to go into the oncoming traffic. “I took one video where around 50 percent of the cars, to avoid it, had their driver’s side on the other side of the road.
” Gullicks Florists overlooks the kerb (Image: Newsquest) Heather Armstrong, who owns Gullicks Florists, can see the mini-roundabout from her shop window and sees kerb collisions happen daily. “Literally every day a vehicle will go up on the kerb, and people get stuck on it,” she said. “If someone gets stuck on there, it does cause problems with traffic building up.
“I know it's there, so I know to pull out further. “For some people, it's not that visible, I don't think. When there was a railing there, it gave some more guidance.
“You have to swing out the other way, and sometimes with traffic coming the other way, that's not possible.” Taxi driver Giles Harries does not believe the kerb is dangerous but says it can catch out drivers who are unfamiliar with the changed layout. Taxi driver Giles Harries says the kerb is not dangerous or obstructive (Image: Newsquest) He said: “People who haven’t been there in the last six months aren’t taking due care and diligence, because they’re not expecting it to be raised.
“It’s a lot more pronounced than it used to be. It’s probably about 10 or 12 inches high. “It’s a prohibitive thing.
It’s to stop people from getting on the kerb. I think in that respect, it works. “It seems to happen when it’s getting dark.
If you drive with due care and attention, you’re not going to hit it. “It’s not dangerous. It’s not an obstacle.
It’s something new that will work if people take care of it.” The Trief kerb on the corner of South Western Road and Fisherton Street (Image: Newsquest) Parvis Khansari, Wiltshire Council's corporate director for place, said: “Following the recent improvements at Fisherton Gateway , an independent post-construction safety audit has been carried out. “This is carried out for all new road layouts.
“We are currently considering the findings from this audit, but no concerns have been raised regarding the positioning of the Trief kerb at the junction of Fisherton Street and South Western Road, nor in relation to vehicle movements at this location. “The key concern at this junction relates to pedestrian safety, particularly the risk of vehicles, especially HGVs mounting the kerb and potentially colliding with pedestrians. “With approximately 11,000 vehicle movements daily under the Fisherton Street railway bridge, it is essential that the infrastructure installed at this location mitigates this key risk as effectively as possible.
“This becomes even more important with the opening of Fisherton Car Park to SWR customers , located on the former East Goods Yard site, which will increase pedestrian footfall as railway customers make their way to the station. “Trief kerbs have been present at the junction of Fisherton Street and South Western Road for many years. “The recent improvement works have essentially renewed and replaced the previous footpath and kerbing infrastructure on a like-for-like basis.
” Fisherton Car Park, accessible near the railway bridge (Image: Newsquest) On the other side of the road, there are damaged railings where a lorry heading to Churchfields Industrial Estate crashed in late-March. Driving instructor Mark Minnican, 49, photographed the HGV against the railings while walking to the railway station with his wife. Read more: Starmer praises ‘resilience’ of Ukrainians during Wiltshire training visit Read more: ‘The village lost to time’: abandoned Wiltshire village opens to public He said: “We were on the other side of the road, fortunately.
It would be quite terrifying at the moment of impact. “Thank God for the railings. Like the kerb on the other side of the road, it’s there to protect pedestrians.
“Living in Salisbury all my life, it’s frustrating. The lorries do the damage and drive off with no accountability. “People in Salisbury are left with that trail of destruction.
“I was so cross to see that lovely new railing wiped out and to see the lorry drive off up the road. When it’s public property, it seems okay to drive off and ignore it. “If it needs additional signage for lorry drivers to tell them to be mindful when turning, I don’t know.
“Seeing all the nice work done and then destroyed within six months is heart-breaking.” The railings after a lorry collided with them (Image: Mark Minnican) Mr Khansari said: “We acknowledge that the railings on this side of the road continue to be struck by vehicles, similar to incidents that occurred before the improvement works commenced. “The railings have not been installed to prevent or withstand vehicle strikes, but to prevent pedestrians from falling into the road from the higher pavement.
“It is preferable for these barriers to be hit rather than a pedestrian. “The barriers are replaced quickly if there is a health and safety issue, or if the damaged barrier remains fit for purpose, then it will be scheduled for replacement in the future. “Although the current barrier is damaged it still serves its purpose of protecting pedestrians and will be repaired in due course.
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