FRESH doubts have been cast over the safety of Boscombe’s shared space area after futuristic, sphere-shaped bollards were installed.

Thirteen of the granite balls, which cost a total £17,875, were put in place by the council as a “finishing, decorative touch”, replacing the temporary planters.

But the new spheres have raised eyebrows among locals, not least for their “strange” appearance.

Several residents were concerned the spheres were a safety hazard. Others thought they made the corner too narrow.

Speaking to the Echo yesterday, Ken Wolfe said: “They don’t fit in, they’re out of place. I’d like to know how much they cost as I don’t think they’d be worth it.”

His friend David Lean added: “I don’t think the fault is with the new balls, it’s the shared space area that poses a problem.

“It’s wrongly placed, and people don’t pay attention as they walk across the area.”

Michael Cooke, a resident of 25 years, said: “I think the new balls are strange things. I saw a lorry pull up outside the convenience store to make a delivery but if the balls hadn’t been there, he could have pulled in closer. There was less space for other cars to get round, and it made the whole situation worse.”

He also thinks the shared space area is “dangerous”, adding: “It’s like a nowhere land that leads onto a road either side. Drivers don’t know what they’re coming into.”

Sabi Hegymegi works at convenience store Bosc Vegas, which narrowly escaped damage after a bus ploughed into a street lamp on the corner of the shared space area last December.

Commenting on the spheres, he said: “Personally, I don’t see the point of them. I think they look nice, but they won’t stop vehicles coming round the corner too fast and crashing into the pedestrian area.

“While the shared space area looks nicer, the road is narrower and more dangerous now, I think. If it was safe, why would they install these balls?”

Harry Seccombe, chair of the Boscombe and Pokesdown Neighbourhood Plan, said the whole idea of street furniture in that road was “flawed”.

“I noticed the balls on Thursday as I was driving through and I found them disconcerting and very weird.

“They stick out and seem to make what is already a narrow corner even narrower - buses struggle to get past each other and other big vehicles find it very tight going round.”

He continued: “Because they’re round, it’s a bit of a worry as you don’t see the edges at night. There are also issues with blind people falling over them.

“The stage four safety review of the shared space is not due until January but I think now the balls have been installed, a space safety audit should be carried out as soon as possible.”

Harry added another issue with the shared space area was the tactile paving at crossings, which has “collapsed” due to buses and other vehicles driving over it.

Ian Kalra, head of transportation services, said: “We’re currently monitoring the placement of the balls to ensure traffic can still move freely through the area and will sink the balls into the ground when we’re happy with their position.”

Residents can express their views on the shared space area, and other issues affecting Boscombe and Pokesdown, by filling in a questionnaire at www.boscombepokesdown.org.uk