A Dumfries Adventure

After meticulous planning…

And a daring night raid

We woke to discover we’d put Dumfries on the map: stories in the Scotsman, and the BBC, not to mention the local press.

Not everyone’s a fan: wee dog doing what wee dogs do best

We also found ourselves branded as ‘litterers’ by the local council, when all we were trying to do was draw attention to a serious problem in a fun way. Most people seemed to think it was a cheery intervention for a dreich February day, but it seems we’re not appreciated by everyone. Ah well. We will start planning our next intervention – who knows when and where we may strike again.

Dumfries – Mission Accomplished

Mission accomplished, our target can now be revealed: Dumfries in Dumfries and Galloway. This is a town with some nice cycle paths but far too many invisible bollards (and chicanes). Armed with a map and a masterplan, we set to work on the street furniture we deemed to be most in need of protection from unwary cyclists and pedestrians

Bollards were fitted with custom-designed bollard cosies, chicanes with arrows or strips. As with all of the protective items we create at the Bollard (and Chicane) Protection Authority, they were carefully designed to be highly visible in all lighting conditions, and with retro-reflective thread ensuring they could also be seen at night

Ready for Action

Our next target has been selected, and intensive preparation is under way to map unloved and barely visible bollards (and chicanes), while a crack team of crafters are even now whipping up the high-tech and scientifically visible bollard cosies and chicane wraps needed.

The pictures below give you an idea of the scale of this problem. Speeding cyclists have already taken lumps out of some of these neglected items of street furniture – and have come off badly themselves. We cannot stand idly by! We WILL protect the bollards (and chicanes) of our target town.

grey concrete – what could be less cheerful?

Blending in with the background, left to grow moss… it’s no wonder cyclists struggle to see this pair

Painted black and all but buried in leaves … this pair of chicanes stands little chance against a speeding cyclist

Dull grey metal in dusk … poor chicanes don’t stand a chance