I don't have an issue with them but I am interested to know (from the scheissters and cops on here) whay you will get "done" for when "...you're hit by the bollards..."? Criminal damage? Driving without due care and consideration? Anything else?
Looking at it it would appear that the sinage is inadequate, not lit, and would be obscured if there's a bus in-front of you. On entering that section of road at the other end the sineage is also poor https://www.google.com/maps/@51.657...4!1sjRm3NqKKeosNqcUM7Eyb6w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 If you have a bus at the stand and vans unloading which is pretty regularly there, it's completely obscured. If you don't know the area you're screwed. The issue with that location is buses hammering round a blind corner with dopey pedestrians exiting a pedestrian only area mixed with kamikaze cyclists. If it was proper tarmac road with curbs to a properly raised pavement they'd get far less issues.
I think they key to this is if they really are automatic or, (as I strongly suspect), able to be over-ridden by an operator. If an operator is forcing these things back up because of a tailgater then I'd be suing the backside off of the council/operator.
I remember when they were installed in Cambridge - I think in the first week the record was 3 tailgaters in one day...
