The campaign by residents of Shipley cul-de-sacs to have traffic-calming measures removed from their streets should never have been needed. The fact that they are having to take this action is an example of the effects of bureaucracy at its silliest.

The measures were introduced in the 75-metre-long Hilton Drive and in nearby Wharncliffe Grove in 1994 when the roads were "improved" as part of the Frizinghall 20mph traffic-calming scheme, funded by the Urban Programme Improvements Budget.

Residents say that at the time they opposed the measures. They knew there was no need for them. The roads are too short for motorists to pick up any speed. But the work went ahead because the regulations said it must.

Thanks to the calming measures, Hilton Drive is now so narrow that when cars are parked on either side of the street other motorists have difficulty getting past. A bin wagon has knocked down a bollard. The residents claim the road in its present state is a danger to motorists and pedestrians alike.

Now 22 people have signed a petition to have the bollard and speed cushion removed. Another 12 in Wharncliffe Grove have done the same. The regulations have now been relaxed and the devices can now go - but at a cost of £1,200 to undo work that need never have been done in the first place.

It is a classic example of what can happen when rules are given precedence over common sense and bureaucracy is allowed to over-rule the views of the people most affected by any change - those who live on the site.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.