IT was like something from a Fifties sci-fi movie: Night Of The Rising Bollards.

First there was one. From nowhere, the Stonebow bollard rose to wreak swift, silent destruction on anything that crossed its path. Cars, buses, ambulances... it didn't discriminate.

Then another sprang up, blocking off Victoria Bar to all but the favoured few. Gradually the truth dawned on unwary residents. The bollards were not about to stop there. They intended spreading city-wide, forcing motorists to submit to their hard-wired will. These bumper-bending automatons would not rest until total control of York was theirs.

Then, in the third reel, came the fightback. Citizens of Heworth banded together to take on the seemingly unstoppable robots.

Their human intelligence proved too much for the faulty logic of the bollard, and it sank without trace...

In all seriousness, City of York Council's decision to abandon its plan to place a bollard on Straylands Grove is a victory for the democratic planning process.

Opponents of the bollard marshalled some impressive arguments and evidence against its introduction.

They exposed flaws in the consultation process and highlighted a key question which remains to be answered: what is the difference between a "rat-run" and a legitimate through-route?

In the end, highway chiefs had little choice but to back down.

Is that the end for the bollards? Don't be so sure. With York's continuing traffic problems, we can see plenty of scope for a sequel.

Updated: 10:30 Thursday, April 07, 2005