CALL FOR ANTI-MOTORCYCLE BARRIERS TO BE INSTALLED AT PEOPLE'S PARK IS REJECTED

People's Park - motorcycle gates would be costly and ineffective

A PLEA for  motorcycle gates to be installed at entrances to Grimsby People's Park has been rejected.

Residents wanted access to be barred because of motorised  noise and other nuisance from some inconsiderate riders.

But portfolio holder for transport and the environment Cllr Stewart Swinburn declined to act on a petition to North East Lincolnshire Council after noting a report from officers doubting the feasibility of such a project.

The report noted that the park had multiple entrances, and such a project would be very costly. 

There was also a high possibility of entry through alternative routes (such as hedges) if main paths were gated. 

The low-level fence is also periodically broken by vandalism, creating new access points to the park which may also increase if the main routes were to be gated. 

The document further observed that  gates would not just prevent motor bikes from going through - they would also impede access for mobility scooters, wheelchairs and pushchairs.

Said the report's author: "By installing gates we would be preventing the very people we like to see in the park - those with disabilities and young families enjoying the facilities. 

"Feedback from our Anti-Social Behaviour team is that, even with the installation of barriers, somebody intent on riding a motorbike anti-socially in the park could relatively easily lift the machine over the current  low-level fencing that surrounded the park. 

"In summary, installation would be costly, there is no current budget in place for such works and, because of the lack of high fencing around the park, provision of gates would be unlikely to resolve the overall issues as alternative means of access could be sought."