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Collisions at accident blackspot fall after pub landlord changes arrows on road sign...
but then more crashes happen when council moves it back again
John Nelson, 57, moved sign outside Coach and Horses pub in HarrogateHis plan worked and for weeks afterwards there were no more incidents
But the council moved it back and days later there was another collisionAgain Nelson moved the sign and again it was moved back by the councilLater they caught him on camera and he got £400 criminal damage charge
By
Updated: 14:08 BST, 20 February 2013












He was only trying his best to halt a spate of car crashes outside his business, but ended up in court.


John Nelson, 57, landlord of the Coach and Horses pub in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, simply moved an arrow pointing to two nearby car parks and for weeks afterwards there were no more incidents.

But then council officials moved the sign back and within days there was another collision on the road.

Again he moved the sign with the same success, but again the council undid his good work.
Problem recognised: Pub landlord John Nelson, 57, of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, moved an arrow pointing to two nearby car parks and for weeks afterwards there were no more incidents

Finally the council installed a camera to see who was changing the sign on the road and caught Mr Nelson. The next thing he knew, the police arrived and charged him with causing £400 of damage.



Mr Nelson has fought a running battle with council officials because the two-lane, one-way road running into the town past his pub has been a scene many crashes and near misses since 2009.

He said the problem is that a sign pointing right to two car parks, one a multi-storey, confuses drivers who try to switch from one lane to the other while driving along West Park to make the turning.


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Several have collided with other vehicles and there have been various near misses, Mr Nelson said.


‘On one occasion I was on the phone to the council when I heard a terrific screeching and when I looked outside, two cars had collided,' he said.

‘This problem has been going on for several years.'

‘But no-one will do anything about it. What does it need - someone to be badly injured, or killed? It must have cost insurance companies tens of thousands of pounds to pay for repairs to vehicles damaged in these collisions.'
Paint job: Mr Nelson has fought a running battle with council officials because the two-lane, one-way road running into the town past his pub has been a scene many crashes and near misses since 2009

He decided to take matters into his own hands and use a stepladder and paint scraper to climb up to the offending arrow and point it away from the car park, simply directing motorists to go straight on.

'No-one will do anything about it.

What does it need - someone to be badly injured, or killed? It must have cost insurance companies tens of thousands of pounds to pay for repairs to vehicles damaged in these collisions'
John Nelson, pub landlord


Mr Nelson said: ‘It worked and for six weeks there wasn't one collision or near miss.

Then the council sent workmen to turn the arrow around again and with two days there had been another collision. The sign confuses motorists and they just cross from one side of the road to other. That's when problems start.'

After Mr Nelson moved the sign again the council eventually put up a camera on a lamp post to catch the culprit.
‘I knew it was there but that wasn't going to stop me,' he said.

After being caught on film Mr Nelson was charged with causing criminal damage to the sign. Ironically the camera, which could have been used to monitor the traffic, has been removed.

When he appeared at Harrogate Magistrates' Court to face the criminal damage charge, Mr Nelson was told that the case against him would be adjourned for two weeks.
Sorting it out: He decided to take matters into his own hands and use a stepladder and paint scraper to climb up to the offending arrow and point it away from the car park, simply directing motorists to go straight on

It was so police could reconsider the allegation and possibly agree to issuing him with a caution.

Geoffrey Rogers, defending, said: ‘Problems with this sign have caused innumerable accidents.

Mr Nelson has complained to the council and has met them and police but nothing has been done.

‘He moved the position of an arrow so that people who do not know Harrogate would drive straight on, rather than risking an accident by turning right.
For blacksprut ссылка зеркало six weeks there were no accidents.

'Our view is that there is no evidence of any potential threat to road safety, providing motorists exercise the due care and attention which the law and traffic regulation require'
North Yorkshire Highways spokesman

'Then the council turned the sign back again and within days there were more accidents.

Mr Nelson moved the sign again and once again there were no accidents until the council turned the sign round again. He accepts that he has caused some minor damage to the sign.'

Within minutes of the hearing ending, Mr Nelson was standing by the junction when two cars almost collided.

‘It is typical,' he said.

‘I am hauled to court because I try to help prevent accidents and the council put up a camera but then take it down when they have caught me, instead of leaving it there to monitor the junction.'

A North Yorkshire Highways spokesman said today: ‘The issue of this sign has been the subject of discussions both internally and with North Yorkshire Police.



‘Our view is that there is no evidence of any potential threat to road safety, providing motorists exercise the due care and attention which the law and traffic regulation require.'