IT speared an ambulance and has suffered problem after problem.

York's first "intelligent" bollard in Stonebow has even been exposed as a "flop" by the Evening Press.

But it emerged today that council chiefs are paving the way for a second bollard - right next to the existing one.

Traders reacted with dismay to news that City of York Council was consulting on plans for a copycat barrier in Stonebow.

They said another automatic bollard there would push more traffic down Fossgate - a busy street many shopkeepers want to see pedestrianised.

And they said the council should get the first bollard working consistently before pressing ahead with plans for another.

Graham Audus, spokesman for Fossgate Traders' Association, said: "The whole thing is crackers.

"The idea seems to be that traffic heading out of the city will be re-routed down Fossgate. But they seem to have quietly forgotten about it being pedestrianised.

"They are backtracking on this so they can stop a few cars driving around the current bollard."

If a second barrier is put up, Mr Audus, of Supersave, said it should let outgoing traffic pass freely, as this would still block incoming dodgers. He warned that the chaos would be "unimaginable" if both barriers failed.

Maria Abu Rish, of Rish restaurant in Fossgate, said the narrow street could not handle more traffic.

The first automatic bollard was installed in 2000 in a bid to prevent rat running. It was supposed to lower only to allow authorised vehicles, like buses, taxis and ambulances through.

But we revealed last September how on several occasions the bollard lowered when any vehicle approached. The council admitted there were "intermittent problems".

The problems escalated in January when an ambulance speeding to a 999 call collided with the bollard and a paramedic was taken to hospital.

But Mike Shanahan, assistant director of patient services for the Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: "We will work with the council to review the proposals for another bollard."

He said: "If we have any issues we will liaise directly with the council to find a solution."

Other headaches included the bollard rising beneath a bus full of passengers, power failures, and motor problems.

A council spokeswoman said today the bollard was "phenomenally successful", but did not prevent a small percentage of drivers using the other side of the road to reach the city centre.

She said a second bollard would stop that, but she added: "No conclusions have been reached and investigations are ongoing."

The spokeswoman also said the council had been considering a rising bollard near the Coppergate/Clifford Street junction to stop drivers flouting access restrictions there.

Those plans were hit by safety wrangles, and plans for a second Stonebow barrier emerged after studies showed most drivers using Coppergate illegally also travelled through Stonebow.

Updated: 10:29 Friday, March 11, 2005