A line of bollards installed to make a junction safer are to be changed after they blocked motorists' view of oncoming traffic.

People living and driving in Borstal had been raising concerns for years about dangerous parking at the Shorts Way junction with Borstal Street.

As a result, metal poles were put in to prevent people from parking on the pavement near the corner.

While they have proved relatively successful in keeping parked vehicles away, their position created a new problem for drivers, as they made it difficult for anyone turning out of Shorts Way into Borstal Street to see what was coming from the right.

Last Thursday, Cllr Alex Paterson, Labour member for Rochester West, updated residents saying the issue will be fixed by increasing the space between the bollards by removing some of them.

He said work is currently being arranged with the contractor and will be carried out in due course but no date has been confirmed yet.

Cllr Paterson shared a statement from the contractor that read: "Following the Stage 3 Road Safety Audit of the Shorts Way junction with Borstal Street scheme, an issue with intervisibility for vehicles emerging from the junction was identified.

"The Audit Team identified that the current arrangement of bollards at the location could restrict the visibility of northeast bound traffic as it approaches the junction.

"As such, they have recommended that the spacing between the bollards be increased, which will improve the visibility for vehicles emerging from Shorts Way."

The Labour councillor said he was glad improvements would finally be made, despite the mistake not being spotted during design stage.

"I've been demanding improvements to this junction for several years. There are still pedestrians and drivers who don't feel it's safe, so I don't think the job is finished yet," he said.

"While it's of course frustrating that the visibility issue with the spacing of the bollards wasn't picked up at the design stage, I'm pleased that the recent safety audit has identified the problem and that it will be fixed.

"We’ve been living with the new layout for a few months now and, while it can make the junction easier to negotiate than before, there are still too many selfish drivers blocking the already-narrow road and impairing visibility by stopping on the double yellow lines beside them.

"Better enforcement must be part of the solution too, and I'm grateful to residents who continue to report concerns to me to help build that case."

Cllr Stuart Tranter, Conservative member for Rochester West, said he was the one who originally requested the improvements in response to demand, as it had always been a difficult junction.

He added: "They [the improvements] were subsequently agreed and designed by highways officers and implemented.

"I have also more recently requested two short-term parking bays near the shop to assist with unloading and short visits to the shop. This reduces the inclination to park dangerously.

"That small change is agreed and is in the programme for implementation, subject to consultation as normal. Sometimes adjustments are needed after a project is finished in the light of experience.

"I am aware of the officers’ proposed further changes to bollard spacing which I have not yet discussed in detail. This is not yet agreed and I will keep an open mind for now.

"Highways projects understandably attract many different views and opinions, and it is never easy to come up with something which is proportionate to the problem and effective in safety terms, especially in historic areas.

"Finally, there is an election coming, which always tends to attract comments from some people who had previously shown little interest."

Cllr Paterson replied, saying: "I have an email trail dating back to May 2018 raising the Shorts Way junction issue with officers - just two months after I was first elected and more than four years before the improvement works were finally actioned.

“Despite my genuine efforts to work together where possible on issues of concern to our residents, Cllr Tranter has never really coped with having a ward colleague from a different party. Hopefully after May 4th it’s a problem he will no longer have."