The Poole man who launched a single-handed protest against speeding motorists has described the council’s response as “shabby”.

Colin Pope erected a sign at the junction of Grove Road and Sea View Road calling for drivers to slow down, after he and his two-year-old son were nearly mown down outside their home.

His Kill Your Speed Not A Child protest resulted in a petition signed by 204 local residents calling for traffic calming in Grove Road, which went before Borough of Poole’s transportation advisory group.

Councillors heard that since the incident bollards had been put outside the corner shop to prevent vehicles parking on the path and white lines on the opposite corner to encourage drivers to take a wider turn into Grove Road.

Addressing the meeting Mr Pope, said he appreciated that the council had taken some positive action.

“But just shabbily putting in some bollards just to show you are doing something is not right,” he said.

“It is more dangerous to pedestrians on the pavement than it could be.”

Steve Dean, principal engineer, said traffic calming measures had been introduced in Upper Parkstone between 1993 and 1997, which had been effective in keeping casualty numbers down.

Injury accident figures in the last four years showed three at the Sea View Road/Grove Road junction, two in Grove Road, four at the Grove Road/Cranbrook Road junction and none in Sylvan Road.

“We try to direct road safety funding to areas with higher accident records,” said Mr Dean, of which there are 45 sites in the borough awaiting funding of improvement works.

Liberal Democrats had presented a petition of more than 300 signatures calling for a scheme for the whole area, which will go to a future meeting.

Cllr Graham Wilson called for road narrowing, similar to that in Haskells Road, and the removal of some on-street car parking.

“I think there is money we could bring to this situation to make a great improvement,” he said.

Members unanimously agreed that a safer school scheme be developed for Sylvan First and Branksome Heath Middle schools in future, that the “slow down” signs be put up in the road and officers bring forward options for road narrowing and the removal of some parking restrictions in Grove Road.