Drivers are furious with a council over a new foot-high ‘Killer Kerb’ which has caused thousands of pounds of damage to cars.
The new installation was designed to create a ‘more welcoming environment for pedestrians’ but has instead become so notorious that it has been listed as a tourist attraction on Google Maps.
It has caused so much damage that a Facebook page has been dedicated to the carnage it has caused.
The Lib Dem-led Wiltshire Council raised the kerb in October 2024 as part of a £3.2 million project.
It was ‘renewed’ last year under a scheme the county council said would ‘create a more welcoming environment for pedestrians’ when they walk towards the city centre from the railway station.
One video of a car bumping over the kerb had been viewed more than one million times on social media.
Since it was installed the council has faced a slew of compensation claims from motorists who have damaged their vehicles on the kerb.
However, some locals say that the drivers are themselves to blame.
The ‘killer kerb ‘sits around 100 metres from Salisbury train station in Wiltshire at a mini roundabout at the junction of two major roads.
Since opening in October 2024 eight compensation claims relating to it have been made compared to zero in the three previous years.
Tom Curtress, 34, from Berkshire, is one of several people who have damaged their cars on the kerb.
He said: ‘It will be two new doors and some panel work. It’s not exactly a bit of varnish and some paint work.
‘Other people will do the same thing; they will have a great weekend, drop someone off at the station and then prang their car.’
After hitting the kerb in his Ford Focus in March he noticed a BMW do something similar 15 minutes later.
He added: ‘That BMW car door’s going to cost more than a Ford Focus one.
‘It was an identical issue, coming from the station. It’s not just causing a little scuff. It’s causing dents.
‘If you drive from the station, you can’t see the kerb from the driver’s side. It’s a tight turn and you don’t want to go into the oncoming traffic.
‘I took one video where around 50 percent of the cars, to avoid it, had their driver’s side on the other side of the road.’
Retired military pilot Anthony D’Arcy-Irvine, 82, caused £4,000 worth of damage after hitting his Volkswagen on the kerb in June.
When he took his car to the garage he was told he was the ‘third car that day’.
Mr D’Arcy-Irvine, from Enford, Wilts, said of the incident that led to the damage: ‘I was going to get crushed. If I had stayed where I was, I would have been hit by the vehicle coming the other way.
‘I have lived in Salisbury for 50 years and I have used that roundabout regularly, I think it is very badly marked.
‘When you pull out of the way of a truck coming the other way, there’s not sign of where it is. You cannot see it. Other people have rung me and said the same thing.
‘Wiltshire Council and Highways have a responsibility to make sure it is safe for driers as well, and it isn’t. They have a duty of care for road users.’
Heather Armstrong, who owns nearby Gullicks Florists, added: ‘Literally everyday a vehicle will go into the kerb and people get stuck on it.
‘If someone gets stuck on there it does cause problems with traffic building up.
‘I know it’s there, so I know to pull out further. For some people, it’s not that visible.
‘When there was a railing there it gave some more guidance. You have to swing out the other way, and sometimes with traffic coming the other way, that’s not possible.’
One Facebook page dedicated to the kerb has over 4,200 members, more than 10 percent of the historic city’s population.
However, viewers are split over who to blame for the damage.
One commentator, Jo Earley, saying ‘Can we stop blaming the kerb and start blaming the idiots behind the wheel?’
Another user, Patrick Day, commented: ‘This group isn’t for ‘victims’. It’s for people to laugh at the ones who can’t drive and mount it.’
However Jonathan Hodgetts wrote: ‘Installing a curb like this is crazy but I am amazed people get caught so often. Mind you we all make mistakes so must not be too critical.’
One anonymous user said: ‘You should have your licence taken away from you if you can’t negotiate a corner, dumbass.’
Samantha Stokes added: ‘Far too much time is being spent on this bloody kerb. I can’t wait for the traffic lights to come for the idiots can’t turn a corner without smashing their car up.’
One social media member even suggested setting up a viewing area on the other side of the road to mock road users.
After months of complaints, a safety audit has now been completed by Wiltshire Council and work is due to start next week to improve the kerb.
The gradient of the footpath is set to be reduced and a bollard put in place to guide people around the 90-degree corner.
‘Deterrent paving’ will also be insalled to assist drivers.
Councillor Martin Smith, cabinet member for highways at Wiltshire Council, said: ‘This is a key junction providing access to the railway station and city centre, with approximately 11,000 vehicles passing under the Fisherton Street railway bridge each day.
‘It is important that the infrastructure installed at this location supports pedestrian safety, especially with the recent opening of Fisherton car park for SWR customers, which has increased footfall in the area.’
Wiltshire Council was contacted for comment.