Woman installs ‘Bear Warning’ signs to stop drivers from crashing into home

By Lauren Beavis

A woman fed up with drivers crashing into her home has put up "Bear Warning" signs on the road - in a bid to slow them down.

Penny Ballinger, 68, says her house and garden have been repeatedly damaged by three vehicle smashes in four years.

She says she has asked for the 40mph speed zone outside to be reduced to 30mph - with no joy.

So creative Penny, of Drybrook in Forest of Dean, has made 'Bear Warning' road signs she has erected outside.

Penny blames the crashes on cars accelerating through spring water on a particular 25-metre stretch of road which is "always wet" and "pours down like Niagara falls."

She hopes the bear signs will encourage drivers to "look and think about what they're doing".

She said: ''I will stand out there with a bear forever to get this issue sorted! I've always been a citizen to stir the pot - is this is me doing exactly that!

"The route down the hill is where people take their kids to school - we're very lucky a parent and child haven't been killed. Will it take a fatality to only do something about it?

"They've actually sort of very much put us off by saying they aren't going to put a road hazard sign up and they can't reduce the speed limit because it would cost them £15,000 as they would have to survey people to see if people want it.

"It seems a bit stupid to me!

"There's a culvert at the bottom of the road that doesn't fully empty, so the drains are constantly blocking.

''And whilst they can do temporary measures, they actually haven't addressed the problem in the long term - it's always the same short stretch of road where accidents occur because cars hit the wet road surface, whether its speeding or on black ice, and crash.

"The council even tried to dig up the spring in a local neighbors' field - but that did more damage than good!"

Penny, who has lived in The Forest of Dean for over forty years, says she is obsessed with local folklore and chose bears in reference to an incident in 1889.

Two circus bears were killed by locals many of whom were controversially convicted - and two neighboring villages have always blamed each other.

More than a century later the question ‘who killed the bears?’ still splits Cinderford and Ruardean.

Penny, who lives with a disability, said: "The most important thing is getting the road safety road - but much like the bear incident, no one seems to be talking about it.

"My angle is that they don't talk about either - so perhaps we can be open about the bears and this nightmare stretch of road!

"The highways don't want to put a hazards sign up - so a hazardous bear sign might be the solution! The bear is out there and willing!

"It really involves highways to take this problem seriously; at the moment they don't even talk about road hazards unless someone has been killed."

Two road smashes damaged Penny's garden wall, her car, a neighbors' car and a telegraph pole which left her with no internet.

Penny said she has learnt about how street architecture reduces speeding - and hopes the bears will get her road safety mission across.

Penny added: "I volunteer on the road safety crew, and if there is something going on, the speeding will reduce - so if it takes a bear with a sign it certainly is worth a go!

"Even though bears can't be relied upon to stop the speed - they do cause a bit of a fuss.

"This problem merits a permanent sign, speed reduction and some monitoring and police involvement to make sure there isn't speeding. The council have to be more accountable."

Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) said it plans to address the issue this year after installing a roadside drain.

Joe Harris, cabinet member for highways at GCC, said some natural spring issues had been addressed on the road.

He said more work will take place.

He told the BBC: "The road does not meet current criteria for a speed reduction, but please be assured we are paying close attention to the situation which we appreciate is frustrating for residents."