New car barriers at Coventry parks 'not fit for purpose' after vandalism

It has cost Coventry City Council hundreds of pounds



New car barriers to tackle anti-social behaviour in Coventry parks are being vandalised - costing the city council hundreds of pounds. Barriers at entrances to Caludon Castle Park and Whitley Common were damaged in February this year and the arms had to be replaced, according to a resident.

The barrier arm at Caludon Castle Park was "destroyed" within 24 hours of coming into use, said park user Gary Haigh. Photos from the time show the arm twisted round and snapped so cars can get through.

It was replaced in April but pulled off earlier this month despite not being activated yet, he added. The arm has now been re-installed but is missing parts of its LED cover and has a damaged top.

Haigh believes the barriers at both parks are an easy target and likely to be vandalised again due to their design. He criticised the city council for "wasting taxpayer's money" by installing the barriers which he dubbed "not fit for purpose."

Heavy duty barriers at Allesley Park haven't been damaged, he noted. The automatic barriers at Caludon Castle and Whitley are made by Beninca, and a Google search shows barriers of this design cost more than £1,000 at stockist 'Gate Auto.'

"I don’t understand the decision making around using this type of barrier," Haigh told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). "The council are aware of antisocial behaviour in their parks but somehow in their wisdom (or lack thereof) they decided to spend thousands of pounds on barriers that were unfit for purpose and obviously going to be an easy target for teenagers and other idiots."

"I am not a betting man but if I were I could guarantee that the Caludon barrier will be destroyed at some point very soon either in the raised position or as soon as it is activated and lowered," he added. "The council have no real alternative but to keep fitting the same barrier as the motor mechanism is already concreted into the park(s) and removal would prove costly, they are in a cleft stick situation but in reality should have spent more money initially to ensure that any parking barriers were fit for purpose."

The LDRS asked Coventry City Council several questions about the barriers. The council didn't reveal how much it cost to buy and install the barriers, but did say it costs around £500 to replace the arms.