A flashing warning sign is to highlight York's rising bollard after the second car in a week smashed into it.

A man was taken to York District Hospital after the electronic bollard on Stonebow, designed to stop unauthorised traffic using the road to access the city centre, rose in front of his car.

He was treated for minor facial injuries and whiplash.

Last week, Scarborough taxi driver Martin Elsender, 61, crashed into the bollard which he had not known was working.

A City of York Council spokesman said today that the new feature, introduced last week, was working correctly, and yesterday's crash happened as an unauthorised driver attempted to beat the rising bollard.

The bollard was introduced as a radical method of blocking the road to all but taxis, buses, authorised delivery vehicles, emergency services and cyclists. A sensor in authorised vehicles causes it to lower.

The road is banned to other traffic, although it has commonly been used as a rat run into the city centre.

The council spokesman said: "What we have done is to constantly monitor the operation of the bollard and while there is extensive signing already we do intend to add a flashing signal on the approach to the control.

"Bollards are used successfully in other British cities and the fact of the matter is that while this is a new physical control in York, traffic orders banning most vehicles from using this part of the city during peak hours have been in place for some time."

adam.nichols@ycp.co.uk