Rainbow Corner nursery in Southsea sees bollards put up after crashing cars twice hit its wall

THE owner of a Southsea nursery which has twice seen its boundary wall destroyed by cars has welcomed the installation of a range of new road safety measures.
By Josh Wright
Published 20th Aug 2021, 11:15 BST
New bollards outside Rainbow Corner nursery in Victoria Road North in Southsea, which have been installed after cars crashed into the nursery wall twiceNew bollards outside Rainbow Corner nursery in Victoria Road North in Southsea, which have been installed after cars crashed into the nursery wall twice
New bollards outside Rainbow Corner nursery in Victoria Road North in Southsea, which have been installed after cars crashed into the nursery wall twice

Bollards and a series of road markings and signs have been put in place on Victoria Road North outside Rainbow Corner Day Nursery after a long-running campaign.

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Nursery owner Lucy Whitehead said she was 'delighted' that work had finally been completed and that the new measures provided an 'extra layer of reassurance' that its children would be safe.

A wrecked car outside Rainbow Corner nursery after a crash on December 18 Picture: Fiona CallinghamA wrecked car outside Rainbow Corner nursery after a crash on December 18 Picture: Fiona Callingham
A wrecked car outside Rainbow Corner nursery after a crash on December 18 Picture: Fiona Callingham
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The boundary wall was destroyed in two separate late night crashes in the space of two years, prompting a petition, signed more than 600 times, calling on Portsmouth City Council to take action.

At the end of last year the council approved a £40,000 project to install bollards, new road markings and signs aimed at reducing the risk of future crashes.

Work started earlier this month and has now been completed.

'This is something we've campaigned for for a long time,' the nursery's owner, Lucy Whitehead, said. 'Being on that main road we have always wanted that extra level of security but we had always been met with resistance from the council.'

Damage caused on December 18 Picture: Habibur RahmanDamage caused on December 18 Picture: Habibur Rahman
Damage caused on December 18 Picture: Habibur Rahman
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She said the crash had left her business, which has been running since the early 1980s, facing a 'PR fall out' with some parents concerned for the safety of their children.

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But she said the most recent incident had spurred support from some councillors, particularly cabinet member for children Suzy Horton, who led calls from within the council to deal with the issue.

'It's taken a while but it's just so great that everything is finally done and we can have that extra level of reassurance about the safety of our children,' Lucy added.

'Having done all you can as a nursery to make sure they are as safe as possible it had always been a little hard to know that there was something that was completely out of your control but that's no longer the case.'

Alongside the bollards and the new road markings, the council has also resurfaced the road with an 'anti-slip' material.

Related topics:SouthseaWorkPortsmouth City CouncilFareham