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Right, it seems as if the history in this place is a bit of a mess. Thanks to Greenbank for looking at StreetView.
Too much to say, so just some bullet points (hope they help):
. This may be useful--it's guidance for the use of such bollards, including lighting conditions. You should read at least the short section on build-outs:
. I don't know if the build-outs always featured the illuminated bollards, but if they didn't, I'm sure they would have been added fairly quickly (although, as the old style ones required connection to mains electricity, it would be surprising if that had to be added later, as it can be a fairly difficult job). Adding the bollards didn't absolve the scheme from being poorly-designed, however--it's a bit like the old Personal Protective Equipment issue. If you need PPE to be 'safe', something has gone wrong at a higher level. Illuminated bollards are a bit like that--you can see it in how often they get knocked down, which has even led to the invention of newer catchily-named (solar-powered) Retroreflective Self-righting Bollards (RSRBs) (see link above).
. By and large, it's not a good idea to stick things into the middle of the carriageway (e.g., where there are pedestrian 'refuges' they're often a fudge when a proper pedestrian crossing should have been provided). All these additions don't solve the original problem.
. In my view and that of quite a few traffic engineers I've spoken to, 'keep right' bollards should never be necessary, even less so than 'keep left' bollards. Nonetheless, they often get installed. Here, it highlights that there are serious problems with the build-outs--under-use of the car parking spaces (not a problem in itself, of course) combined with poor street lighting and undoubtedly high speeds along this stretch.
. It would be worth finding out why the bollard is missing where you crashed. Locals might remember whether and when there was a crash that took one out (try talking to dog-walkers or knock on nearby doors; the people working in the MOT centre might know).
. You'd expect that location to have been included in the replacement programme when the old bollards were removed and the new ones put in. The new ones don't need to be connected to the mains, being solar-powered, so installing them is a fairly straightforward job. They shouldn't be destroyed too easily, although obviously can be, e.g. if a car comes to rest on top of one. While they don't need expensive electrical work underneath, they're fairly expensive and perhaps there wasn't a budget to replace it when one was destroyed. Of course, it's perfectly possible that it was forgotten in the replacement programme, that one was stolen (no, I can't imagine it, either) or, simply, that the Council hadn't been notified of its disappearance yet.
. Amazingly, there are two metal bollards on a build-out further on (at the junction with Manship Road), just after the bus stop. This whole street hasn't had much TLC for a long time--virtually every feature you see there is badly outdated. My favourite features are those amazing (and completely ineffective) pretend Belisha Beacons on the central islands.
. Just speculation, but: The old Halfords site across the street is now a development site. I have no idea if work has already started there, but if the driver of a heavy vehicle accessing the development started the turn early by swinging left across that bollard, they may well have knocked it out. Having said that, I've just looked at StreetView again and it seems a/the bollard has been missing since at least September 2014.
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Oliver Schick
There's what looks like two holes of a similar bcd to the other ones base, but they're full of road muck. Tbh I don't know if there ever was one there, but if there wasn't I can't imagine what the logic was.