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Driven to distraction by Bolan memories

7:18am Tuesday 30th October 2007

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The world-famous memorial to glam rock star Marc Bolan could cause another fatal smash if it is not removed soon, according to one furious resident.

David Fell drives past the site, in Queens Ride, Barnes, where the T-Rex frontman died in a car crash 30 years ago, on a daily basis. He said the amount of memorabilia adorning the tree distracted drivers - and could cause them to swerve and crash.

He said: "Where the Marc Bolan memorial tree is, the road goes downhill steeply, narrows and turns to the right.

"Car drivers drive like lunatics at this spot and there is very little space between cars passing the Bolan tree and cars coming in the other direction.

"Any distraction that could lead to a driver error at this place could be fatal - that is why I want all Bolan memorabilia removed and the Bolan tree chopped down."

The site has been managed by the T-Rex Action Group since 2000 and features a huge notice board of photos and tributes, as well as candles and an inscribed memorial stone.

David added: "If Richmond Council wants another Marc Bolan-style car crash to take place at this site then they should allow Bolan fans to keep putting up posters and banners for another 30 years.

"There have already been fatal car crashes on this stretch of road. Why won't the council do what is needed to make this site safe?

"I have seen children and teenagers straying into the road in Queens Ride to view the posters attached to the Marc Bolan tree. If one of these kids dies by being hit by a car, I blame Richmond Council."

A spokesman for Richmond Council said: "This tree is on land owned by Network Rail and has acted as a memorial to Marc Bolan for the past 30 years without significant incident.

"The council has introduced various road safety measures in Queens Ride over the years, including extensive speed reduction schemes and a vehicle containment barrier."

He said: "Although Mr Fell's concerns do not warrant further action by the council, we do not allow banners or other paraphernalia to be attached to road signs or guard rails and any such material will continue to be removed in the interests of safety.

"One such banner was removed from the site this week. Obviously, road safety is something which is constantly monitored."

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Your Say YourRichmond and Twickenham Times

val bolan, birmingham says...
10:30pm Tue 30 Oct 07

hi im a Marc Bolan fan & i understand that it could cause, has caused accidents its been 30 yrs now & its our shrine to Marc there is a lot of fans still around it will take a lot of fight in the fans if the tree was ever knocked down we would not like to see this happen im sure i speak for everyone
Val Bolan

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mark, wigan says...
11:09pm Tue 30 Oct 07

i think its mr FELL that needs felling NOT the tree.abide to the speed limits/signs and there wont be a problem.this is a protected site and leased from the appropriate people as a shrine to a GREAT british artist,give respect !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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irene morses, glasgow says...
7:23am Wed 31 Oct 07

im a marc bolan fan too and fully agree with the previous comments. maybe richmond council could install speed bumps near the area to slow traffic right down.i have noticed when in london there doesnt seem to be any rules of the road folk seem to drive like maniacs and do thier own thing. so thats something that needs to be addressed too. butspeed bumps along that road would be a big help as i for one would not like the tree cut down.its a shrine to a great musical genius.so slow down when you know folk are likely to be at the tree.

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Sylvie Arn, Switzerland!! says...
7:59am Wed 31 Oct 07

Yup,even in Switzerland is one Bolan fan left who's upset by this article!!

Mister Fell says there have been happening other accidents on this street,but he actually doesn't say that other drivers have had a crash beause they've been distracted by THE tree!It has been a memorial for the past thirty years and if a memorial is so distracting and dangerous, well then all that remains to be done, is to destroy ALL memorials/monuments that are close to a roadside,innit? Now I wonder what Mister Fell would have to say to that!

Marc Bolan has left his imprint in the music history and that the tree is still so important to his fans 30 years after his premature death,only proves that he was a real STAR!

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Kerrie McCoy, Australia says...
8:22am Wed 31 Oct 07

As a Marc Bolan fan, I'm disgusted that Mr Fell thinks that a beatiful memorial dedicated to Marc Bolan is to blame for drivers being distracted. Why doesn't Mr Fell blame the real the problem of drivers using mobile phones while driving, speeding,drink/drug driving and stop blaming a memorial that clearly this Mr Fell doesn't like. Mr Fell it easy for you to blame a memorial than fix the real problem, driver stupidity and trust me there will be alot of Marc Bolan fans that will fight to the very end to protect the memorial specially from people like you.

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Eddie, Canada says...
9:01am Wed 31 Oct 07

Interesting. There was a movement years ago to have the tree removed as a safety hazard. Marc was not the first person to have a car accident in the area, and the area is known to be dangerous. But seeing as the tree is a designated toursit site etc... now, and since people seem to be slowing down a bit to check out the Bolan stuff, I can't see the guy getting Richmond council to act on it this time, all these years on.

It should be pointed out though, that the area was dangerous long before Marc's fans put up memorobilia etc... The area being dangerous was what in fact lead to Marc's death in the first place.

And as someone else pointed out, 30 years on and nobody's hit the tree since then. The guy pushing to fell the tree seems to be making a case for the idea that the bolan memorobilia is a distraction likely to cause an accident, but as has been pointed out, not likely.

I'd say if anything, it would have the opposite effect, and cause people to slow down for a look and is likely a good thing and enhances road safety in the area.

The suggestion of speed bumps was a good one though. The area is known to be dangerous, but not due to the Bolan memorobilia.

If it weren't dangerous Marc would still be with us and there would be no Bolan memorobilia.

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Shades, Glasgow Scotland says...
10:28am Wed 31 Oct 07

I am a Marc Bolan fan and I visited the tree in September and while I do agree it on a stretch of rd that is very dangerious,it is not more dangerous due to mmoribilia being put at the tree, it is due to drivers who refuse to heed the warning signs that they need to slow down. Also you would think that since Marc's tragic accident in 1977, speed bumps would have been laid down by now.
As for Mr Fell let me assure you the chinees guy who stood in front of the tank to stop it many years ago in protest would be nothing compaired to the protest myself and the army of Marc Bolan fans would put up if he tried to have this landmark felled.

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P Tarry, Berkshire says...
3:32pm Wed 31 Oct 07

I'm a Bolan fan too,and drove through last Sept at night. The council have lowered the speed limit there and put a more visible barrier up. The fact that Marc died there makes people think,and be more careful I believe.

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ian riddle, edinburgh says...
4:13pm Wed 31 Oct 07

whit a plonker,abide by the traffic laws and there should.nt be a problem.
DONT MESS WITH BEST FANS IN THE WORLD.

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Steve, Barnes says...
6:01pm Wed 31 Oct 07

As a local resident and Marc Bolan fan, all I can say is that there is always one! Or perhaps it is simply a late or early 'April Fool' joke?

Either way the traffic calming speed bumps which have already been installed (take note Irene and others) mean that although the road is busy, traffic has to travel past the area slowly. Indeed it is wise to do so given the humpback bridge and blind access from Gipsy Lane into Queen's Ride.

The site is much improved since TAG took over management and I compliment and thank them for not only their continued hard work, but also for saving the tree from being felled as they did do.

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chris, Brierfield, Lancs. says...
6:47pm Wed 31 Oct 07

Mr. Fell is obviously just wanting some publicity for himelf. Perhaps he should get married or take up a hobby or something. He sounds like a sad lonely person who should really have our sympathy.

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P. Yates, Tiverton, Devon says...
7:30pm Wed 31 Oct 07

I have been a fan for over 33 years, & I totally agree with the comments posted, all I wanted to say has been said already, all I will add is this, anyone who threatens the tree will have to get past Marcs fans first, & THEY HAVE NO CHANCE OF THAT, I CAN ASSURE YOU, it just remains to be said, MR FELL GET OVER IT!

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L Bicknell, London says...
7:38pm Wed 31 Oct 07

I have been a fan for 35 years. I agree with all the above comments. Mr Fell needs to take a chill pill. He doesn't realize who he taking on , when you mess with Marc Bolan Fans.

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Linda, West Midlands says...
8:43pm Wed 31 Oct 07

I visited the tree site for the first time this year and it is a lovely memorial to a great British star. It would be a shame if it had to be removed just because there are "people who drive like lunatics" in Mr Fell's words. If they do drive like lunatics that's not the fault of the memorial. In fact such a sight should alert them to the dangers which caused Marc Bolan's death. I found the large red and white crash barrier, which presumably was erected to attract the attention of drivers to the bend in the road, much more noticable than the actual tree. After 30 years and all the safety precautions the council have put in place, it seems churlish to want to upset so many people just because people can't drive sensibly.

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Spike, Carshalton, Surrey says...
1:22pm Thu 1 Nov 07

I agree with all the comments posted above..Whats more the Bolan site is actually owned by tag and no one I repeat no one can can chop down Marc's tree not the counccil not anyone..So Mr Fell go find something else to complain about that actually has substance to it...

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Nev, leicester says...
4:50pm Thu 1 Nov 07

To whom who removed my comment,why?
If Mr fell is disrespectful to our idle Marc, then he can expect some criticism.This country
is suppose to have freedom speech.I would be very grateful if you would put my comments back on the forum.
Thank you.
And mr Fell, do all a favour, take another
route and lose youself.

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Alastair, Reading says...
5:54pm Thu 1 Nov 07

Mr Fell is entitled to his opinion. I agree with him that road safety must be the paramount concern. Having visited the tree I know what a dangerous road it is. However, this is not just a tree. It is a tree that is part of rock 'n' roll history and holds a very special place in many people's hearts. Each year it is visited by people from all around the world. The global interest is reflected by the responses posted to the article. The tree must be preserved. If anything the tree should remind passing motorists of the dangers and encourage them to slowdown and drive more carefully.

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elliot, chorley, lancs says...
5:35pm Mon 5 Nov 07

what an idiot
why would you want to cut down memrobillia of a legend like bolan. like that spokesman says, no significant accident over the past 30yrs so why say something like that now ?

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Delf, west mids says...
7:02pm Mon 5 Nov 07

Whilst i agree that road safety has to be paramount, i do agree with what everyone has said in respect of the tree where Marc died. I think its folly to think that memorabilia on the tree will distract drivers when travelling down that road. Its no more distracting than when people play loud music or are talking on hands free mobiles. It's a beautiful place where some fans like to pay their respects and i think it's just a lame excuse to use the excuse of danger in order to get it removed. As others have commented, most people slow down to view the tree and that can only be a good thing.

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roy ferguson, belfast says...
9:18pm Mon 5 Nov 07

get a life mate, how many crashes have there been since marc died. i was at the site and couldnt understand how she managed to crash the car. do wise up mate.

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toad, Barnes says...
9:50pm Thu 8 Nov 07

I live locally and find Mr Fell's argument about a 30+ year old accident site not very convincing. However, I also wonder how many of the Bolan fans commenting here have actually visited the site? Judging by the 'beautiful' comments, probably very few. It has some limited historical importance but can hardly be described as beautiful- it is an old tree on an overgrown scrub land embankment next to a railway line. It frequently looks gaudy and like a rubbish tip thanks to the inappropriate and tatty decorations that are hung up along with dog eared photos and even worse, written dedications. The memorial stone is tasteful and certainly is an improvement but I wonder whether the 'fans' would want this overadorned eyesore in their own back yards? Beatiful? Let's get real here.

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Karen E, Tucson, Arizona says...
4:56pm Sun 18 Nov 07

Odd as it sounds, the entire reason I'm visiting England this summer is to see the Bolan Memorial. On a practical level, speedbumps are a good idea. I also think that Mr. Fell needs to get a life and get over his apparent envy of Marc Bolan. Keep a little Marc in your heart!

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Thunderwing, Sweden says...
5:53pm Sun 2 Dec 07

I am a real Marc Bolan T rex fan I went to the 30th anniversary at the tree and would really disapprove of removing the tree which is a shrine to me and many others from all over the world. When I went there I met people who had travelled from all over the world to come there and pay their tribute to him and his music! Do not harm the tree take care of it I will go again to see to it the first week of March 2008 so let it be!!!

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Yvonne Owen, Wallington, Surrey says...
2:02am Mon 10 Dec 07

You silly man! Have you just woken up?!?

Had you raised your concerns with Richmond Council or whoever, some 30+ years back, re: 'the steep/downhill road that narrows as it turns right' and requested them to do something about it then, "our Marc" would still be here today and there'd be no shrine for you to gripe about now.

You are 30 years too late mate.
Get a life!!!

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