Bollard - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A bollard is a short vertical post. Originally it meant a post used on a ship

Ship

Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...

or a quay

Wharf

A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...

, principally for mooring. The word now also describes a variety of structures to control or direct road traffic, such as posts arranged in a line to obstruct the passage of motor vehicles. In addition, bollards are used in the lighting industry to describe short, post-like light fixtures.

The term is probably related to bole, meaning a tree trunk. The earliest citation given by the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...

is from 1844: previously, simpler terms such as "post" appear to have been used. The Norman-French name Boulard (still often found in Normandy) may be related.

Applications for bollards

The National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF), managed by the National Institute of Building Sciences

National Institute of Building Sciences

The National Institute of Building Sciences is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that successfully brings together representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor and consumer interests, and regulatory agencies to focus on the identification and resolution of problems and...

(NIBS), cited three dozen applications of bollards.
The following list of open areas is encompassed by the ABA

ABA

- Aviation :* AB Aerotransport, a former Scandinavian airline* ABA, the IATA airport code for Abakan Airport, in Russia- Broadcasting :* Alabama Broadcasters Association* Australian Broadcasting Authority...

, NCEF and WBDG

WBDG

WBDG is a high school radio station broadcasting a Variety format from Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. The station is currently owned by Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township.-History:...

recommendations:

Playgrounds
Trails/Traiheads
Roadways
Leisure Parks
Fire Access Lanes
Fire lane
A fire lane is a marked lane in a parking lot that is near a structure. Parking is prohibited in fire lanes to ensure the access of safety equipment to the structure in the event of an emergency....
Building Setbacks
Sports Field
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
Malls
Traffic Gates
Boom barrier
A boom barrier is a bar, or pole pivoted in such a way as to allow the boom to block vehicular access through a controlled point. Typically the tip of a boom gate rises in a vertical arc to a near vertical position. Boom gates are often counterweighted, so the pole is easily tipped...
Landscapes
Pathways
Walkway
In US English, a walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all engineered surfaces or structures which support the use of trails. These include sidewalks, footbridges, stiles, stairs, ramps, paseos or tunnels...
Site Utilities
Bus Em/Debarkation
Bus stop
A bus stop is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. These are normally positioned on the highway and are distinct from off-highway facilities such as bus stations. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage...
Toll Booth
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
Bicycle Lane
Traffic Medians
Site Perimeters
Intersections
Store Fronts
Store
Store may refer to:*a retail store*a place where things are stored, e.g. a ship's paint store*expendables released from an aircraft, such as ordnance or countermeasures*Štore, a town and a municipality in eastern Slovenia...
Building Hardening
Vehicle Parking
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
Site Access Control
Site Surveillance
Vehicle Pick-Up
Valet parking
Valet parking is a parking service offered by some restaurants, stores, and other businesses, particularly in North America. In contrast to "self-parking", where customers find a parking space on their own, customers' vehicles are parked for them by a person called a valet...

Architectural design functions

Listed below are the building design objectives and requirements under fire or security related instances on Campuses and their relationship to the use of bollards according to the Association of Higher Education Facilities.

Accessible: fire lane bollards will accommodate persons using wheelchairs
Aesthetics: the fire lane and its bollard style complements surrounding landscape design
Cost-Effective: fire lane system life cycle costing
Functional/Operational: Building architect determines if entrances to building envelope can accommodate first responders or whether entrances require retrofitting, and authority having jurisdiction and first responders determine if the fire lane can readily be accessed through the bollards under emergency conditions
Historic Preservation: City planner address the special needs in historic districts and of historic buildings to accommodate fire lanes and bollards.
Productive: The HR officer comments on felt security of those working in the protected building, and all first responders pass on their ability to perform under fire mitigation conditions
Secure/Safe: Input by building safety or security officer and representative first responders to assure hallways and stairwells can accommodate first responders and that the fire lane is free of all obstructions 24/7
Sustainable: Landscape architect and surveyor comment on long term sustainability of area impacted by fire lane and use by first responders.

Types of Bollards

Maritime bollards

In the maritime contexts in which the term originates, a bollard is either a wooden or iron post found as a deck-fitting on a ship or boat, and used to secure ropes for towing, mooring and other purposes; or its counterpart, a short wooden, iron or stone post on a quayside to which craft can be moored. The Sailor's Word-Book of 1867 defines a bollard in a more specific context as "a thick piece of wood on the head of a whale-boat, round which the harpooner gives the line a turn, in order to veer it steadily, and check the animal's velocity".

Historically (in the 17th and 18th centuries) old cannon were often used as bollards on quaysides: they would be buried in the ground muzzle-first to approximately half or two-thirds of their length, leaving the breech (rear end) projecting above the ground for the attachment of ropes. Such cannon can still occasionally be found. Later (19th-century) bollards were often given the same cannon shape.
Mooring bollards are seldom exactly cylindrical, but typically have a larger diameter near the top to discourage mooring warps (docklines) from coming loose. Single bollards sometimes include a cross rod to allow the mooring to be bent into a figure eight.

Road bollards

Bollards are rigid posts that can be arranged in a line to close a road or path to vehicles above a certain width or to separate traffic from pedestrians.

The American Heritage Dictionary describes this use of bollard as "chiefly British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

", although the term has crept into the jargon of some American universities where dense traffic necessitates the use of bollards for access control.

Bollards can be mounted near enough to each other that they block ordinary cars, for instance, but wide enough to permit special-purpose vehicles through. Bollards can be used to enclose car-free zone

Car-free zone

Pedestrian zones are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian only use and in which some or all automobile traffic may be prohibited. They are instituted by communities who feel that it is desirable to have pedestrian-only areas...

s: Removable bollards allow access for service and emergency vehicles. Bollards and other street furniture

Street furniture

Street furniture is a collective term for objects and pieces of equipment installed on streets and roads for various purposes, including traffic barriers,...

are used to control overspill parking

Overspill parking

Overspill parking is the parking of vehicles beyond the main area provided for the purpose. It can occur because provided parking spaces are insufficient for demand or considered unsatisfactory for some reason...

onto sidewalks and verges.

Tall (1.15 meter/4 foot) slim (10 cm/4 inch) fluorescent red or orange plastic bollards with reflective tape and removable heavy rubber bases are frequently used in road traffic control where traffic cone

Traffic cone

Traffic cones, also called traffic pylons, road cones, highway cones, safety cones, construction cones or witches' hats or safety wizards, are usually cone-shaped markers that are placed on roads or footpaths to temporarily redirect traffic in a safe manner...

s would be inappropriate due to their width and ease of movement. Also referred to as delineators, the bases are usually made from recycled plastic, and can be easily glued to the road surface to resist movement following minor impacts from passing traffic. Sometimes called "T-top bollards" from the T-bar moulded into the top for tying tape, the bollard is an economical, cost effective, and safe delineation system designed especially for motorways and busy arterial roads. In conjunction with plastic tape, it is also effective in pedestrian control.

Movable bollards

Bollards may be hinged at ground level, allowing them to be folded flat to permit vehicles to drive over them. In such cases they are generally fitted with padlocks at the base, to prevent their being lowered without proper authorisation.
Retractable or "rising" bollards can be lowered entirely below the road surface (generally using an electric or hydraulic mechanism) to enable traffic to pass, or raised to block traffic. Rising bollards are used to secure sensitive areas from attack, or to enforce traffic rules that are time related or restrict access to particular classes of traffic. They are increasingly common around the world to hinder vehicle-based terrorist actions from achieving close proximity to buildings, and are also used to prevent ram-raiding

Ram-raiding

Ram-raiding is a variation on burglary in which a van, SUV, car, or other heavy vehicle is driven through the windows or doors of a closed shop, usually a department store or jewellers shop, to allow the perpetrators to loot it....

such as in the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack

2007 Glasgow International Airport attack

The 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack was a terrorist attack which occurred on Saturday 30 June 2007, at 15:11 BST, when a dark green Jeep Cherokee loaded with propane canisters was driven into the glass doors of the Glasgow International Airport terminal and set ablaze...

. They are also useful in mixed-use public spaces, which support both pedestrian use and emergency and or service vehicle use. These bollards are usually priced between $11,000 to $100,000 depending on its ability to ram vehicles based on speed. The most expensive bollards can stop vehicles at speeds of about 50mph.

Manually retractable bollards (lowered by a key mechanism) are found useful in some cases since they do not require retrofitting into existing landscapes, or any electrical hookups or hydraulic systems.

The term "robotic bollards" has been applied to traffic barricades capable of moving themselves into position on a roadway.

Self-righting bollards can take a nudge from a vehicle and return to the upright position without causing damage to the bollard or vehicle. They are popular in car park buildings and other areas of high vehicle usage.

Bell bollard

A bell bollard is a device that deflects vehicles' tires. The wheel mounts the lower part of the bollard and is deflected by its increasing slope. Such bollards are effective against heavy goods vehicles that can damage or destroy other types of street furniture.

Internally illuminated traffic bollards

Internally illuminated traffic bollards (herein referred to as traffic bollard) have been in existence throughout the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

since the 1930s, although the term "bollard" only seems to have been in common use since the late 1940s. They are primarily used at modern roundabout

Roundabout

A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...

intersection

Intersection (road)

An intersection is a road junction where two or more roads either meet or cross at grade . An intersection may be 3-way - a T junction or fork, 4-way - a crossroads, or 5-way or more...

s within the splitter islands (a raised or painted area on the approach of a modern roundabout used to separate entering from exiting traffic, deflect and slow entering traffic, and provide storage space for pedestrians crossing the road in two stages) and at the ends of pedestrian refuge

Refuge island

A refuge island, also known as a pedestrian refuge or pedestrian island, is a small section of pavement or sidewalk, completely surrounded by asphalt or other road materials, where pedestrians can stop before finishing crossing a road...

islands, typically located at mid-block pedestrian crosswalks. They are used to supplement street signs

Traffic sign

Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of roads to provide information to road users. With traffic volumes increasing over the last eight decades, many countries have adopted pictorial signs or otherwise simplified and standardized their signs to facilitate international travel...

and street light

Street light

A street light, lamppost, street lamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or walkway, which is turned on or lit at a certain time every night. Modern lamps may also have light-sensitive photocells to turn them on at dusk, off at dawn, or activate...

ing to provide a visual cue to approaching drivers that an obstacle exists ahead during hours of darkness and during periods of low visibility: (fog, rain, snow, haze, etc.) and that braking may be required.

A traffic bollard consists of three parts:

A foundation used to house a recessed base light unit;
A base unit which houses lamps to illuminate the traffic bollard;
A shell which illuminates at all angles during periods of darkness and low visibility. Units one and two are housed below the surface of the improvement (typically a concrete surface). Therefore, if a vehicle strikes the traffic bollard, the units below the surface are not damaged.

Road agencies in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

are beginning to experiment with modern traffic bollards. The first modern traffic bollard was installed at a modern roundabout intersection (State Road 89 and Willow Lake Road) in the City of Prescott, Arizona

Prescott, Arizona

Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....

They were also used to prepare for the Republican Convention in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. (see middle thumbnail photo at right). The traffic bollards at this intersection are very similar to devices found throughout the United Kingdom with the following exceptions:

The traffic bollard shell displays the MUTCD
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices is a document issued by the Federal Highway Administration of the United States Department of Transportation to specify the standards by which traffic signs, road surface markings, and signals are designed, installed, and used...

(Manual of Uniform Traffic Control
Traffic control
Road traffic control involves directing vehicular and pedestrian traffic around a construction zone, accident or other road disruption, thus ensuring the safety of emergency response teams, construction workers and the general public....

Devices) “Keep Right” symbol (R4-7). In addition, the traffic bollard also has a yellow diamond below the keep right symbol instead of a yellow shield.
Unlike many existing traffic bollards found in the UK, most new modern traffic bollards installed along roadways today are made of materials that make them completely collapsible. When struck by a vehicle at low or high speed, the traffic bollard shell reverts to its original position with minimal to no damage to the unit.

Traffic Calming

According to the Traffic Calming organization bollards can be used in two types of situations:

To control traffic intake size by limiting movements;
To control speed issues by narrowing the space on a road.

Israel's Transportation Research Institute found that by putting bollards at highway exits to control traffic also reduced accidents.

Bollards for physical security

Bollards use to contribute to safety

Safety

Safety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...

and security

Security

Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...

are extensive. The American Bar Association

American Bar Association

The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...

(ABA) state that bollards are used to contribute to homeland security

Homeland security

Homeland security is an umbrella term for security efforts to protect states against terrorist activity. Specifically, is a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the U.S., reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do...

. Also the NIBS’s

National Institute of Building Sciences

site—the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG)—recommends in its Design Guidance that open spaces surrounding and contiguous to buildings be included as integral parts of a security design. See Crime prevention through environmental design

Crime prevention through environmental design

Crime prevention through environmental design is a multi-disciplinary approach to deterring criminal behavior through environmental design. CPTED strategies rely upon the ability to influence offender decisions that precede criminal acts...

for more.

Security-related Bollard types

In the security industry

Security

physical site security bollards have assumed a prominent role, of which there are two main kinds:

non-crash-resistant bollards
crash- and attack-resistant bollards, a hardened barrier systems used to protect military, governmental and other buildings or compounds of higher security levels.. Often used by retailers to prevent "Smash and Grab" burglary
Smash and grab
A smash and grab raid or smash and grab attack is a particular form of burglary. The distinctive characteristic of a smash and grab, that distinguishes it from other forms of burglary, is its elements of speed and surprise...

According to the National Institute of Building Sciences

National Institute of Building Sciences

, non-crash resistant bollards are “perceived impediments to access” and address the actions of two groups.

Law-abiding persons who comply with civil prescriptions of behavior as defined by the manner in which bollards are put to use;
Potentially threatening and disruptive persons for whom bollard applications are proscriptive by announcing their behavior is anticipated and additional levels of security await them.

Bollards in Fire Emergencies

According to the International Fire Code (IFC-2009) and the National Fire Protection Association

National Fire Protection Association

The National Fire Protection Association is a United States trade association that creates and maintains private, copywrited, standards and codes for usage and adoption by local governments...

Fire Code 1 (NFPA-1) all new buildings or renovated buildings must have fire access roadways to accommodate fire apparatus and crews and other first responders. Thus the choice of bollard styles must apply to the NFPA’s Code 1710. Bollard are now designed in terms of how long it takes to remove or collapse them to allow first responders entry to the access roadway.

Relevant Case Studies
A case study from New York City on the subject was written in 2007:

Transportation Alternatives: Rethinking Bollards–How Bollards Can Save Lives, Prevent Injuries and Relieve Traffic Congestion in New York City. July 2007

Other uses

Bollards are used as a form of permanent utility location. They are sometimes placed next to warehouse and garage door edges to prevent large trucks from hitting the door jambs.

Bollard lights

The term bollard light is a type of architectural outdoor lighting that is a short, upright ground-mounted unit typically used to provide cutoff type illumination for egress lighting, to light walkways, steps, or other pathways. These types of light fixtures typically give off light from the top or the sides.

Sculpture

In Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, decorative bollards, designed and painted by Jan Mitchell

Jan Mitchell

Jan Mitchell was an Australian artist, born in Melbourne, known for her painted bollards and work as a television graphic artist.She spent her formative childhood years near Healesville before working at RTE in Ireland for 18 years in the graphics department...

, are placed in around the city of Geelong, Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, to enhance the landscape as a form of outdoor public sculpture

Sculpture

Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...

. Usually they are made of timber, minimally modified from the traditionally cylindrical, wooden, maritime bollard shape, but brightly painted to resemble human figures. Such figures - which may be historical or contemporary, particular or generic - are sited singly or in clusters along the waterfront and in other areas where people gather. Decorative bollards have become a well-known feature of the city of Geelong and reflect its history as a major Australian port.

In Antwerp, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, artist Eddy Gabriel transformed a bollard to look like a toadstool in 1993. This example was followed massively, turning the quaiside of the river Schelde into a street art gallery

In popular culture

Wevie Stonder
Wevie Stonder
Wevie Stonder is an absurdist electronic music collective, although some of them regard 'Electronic music' as simply a load of rubbish. 'Absurdist' didn't quite cover what they were/are up to, so they have in fact had to invent a new genre CACK Music and have now founded their own label CACK...

(under the pseudonym Wevie de Crepon) has a song called Ton Wah, in which bollards feature quite heavily.
An obstructionist character named Bollard appears in Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer which starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an ageing London barrister who defends any and all clients...

.

Applications for bollards

Architectural design functions

Types of Bollards

Maritime bollards

Road bollards

Movable bollards

Bell bollard

Internally illuminated traffic bollards

Bollards for physical security

Bollards in Fire Emergencies

Other uses

Bollard lights

Sculpture

In popular culture

See also