Bollard Posts from Hell

[Doggyman1202]

For those not familiar, bollards are the iron/concrete posts spaced a meter (38 inches) apart at trail crossings. I live in northern New England, but I'm assuming these are commonplace on rail trails everywhere. All the bollard posts I've encountered have been next to gates, which presumably are there to keep prohibited vehicles from entering the recreational paths intended for joggers, walkers, scooters, and cyclists.

After grumbling about these things for the past couple of years, I finally wound up on the DL after clipping a post with my bar end mirror. (It happened quickly, but I wobbled a bit and then swerved over an embankment to avoid a stop sign planted ten feet beyond the bollard post crossing). "Pilot error" on my part, and I'm not looking for a whit of sympathy. As a female companion commented, "I always walk my bike through those. Why were you riding through?" My response..."I'm a guy, and that's not how we roll".

Still, I feel a need to vent somewhere. I had a close encounter with one of these post crossings last year when a family unexpectedly moved laterally across the bollard post crossing. I avoided a serious collision that time, but always wonder why they are even there at all. I fully understand why the adjacent gates are there, but these hard non-collapsible bollard posts, which extend higher than bike handlebars, seem like a hazard invented by a committee of non-riders . The idea of walking through them is also easier said than done at times, especially when you need to scoot across a busy intersection, and the gates/posts are not offset far from the intersection. Heavy ebikes, while arguably more stable at higher speeds, are not quite as agile for scooting through tight angles at low speed.

The 38-inch separation between posts is certainly wide enough for kids, racing, and a lot of road bikes. With a bar end mirror (which ironically is on for safety) I have about 6'' clearance, which was enough the first couple of hundred times I rode through.

A local campground trail where I like to ride uses speed bumps to keep vehicles (cars, bikes) from going too fast. I have no problem whatsoever with those. If the idea of the bollard posts is to act as a speed deterrent across intersections, then speed bumps would be more effective, and safer.

I'm curious to learn what others think, whether in agreement or otherwise.

 

[Ken M]

Get a rear view mirror that doesn't stick out past your bar ends. That seems like a reasonable solution. I had a bar end mirror for a while but it got destroyed by hitting something as your described. I purchased a better design that was under the grip on the left side.

The reason why bar end rear view mirrors are sold is to sell a lot more as riders break them on obstacles or bike drops. Don't let the bean counters screw you like that.

 

[vincent]

i agree and dislike them, they should not be even with or higher than handlebars

half the time i walk through and the other i ride very slowly but am always nervous

 

[rich c]

I saw a guy directly hit one here in the States. Said he wasn't paying attention, but from some discussions it often happens from some sort of indecision. They are much shorter here and are to prevent motor vehicles from coming on the trails. Personally, I don't see an issue. If you can't ride between 38" you need to practice balancing more often, or just pay attention! My practice is on local single tracks where some tight trees make you do a quick swerve just to get your handlebars in between the trees. Of course you see a lot of scars on the trees, at grip height! LOL

 

[mschwett]

unpopular opinion: there is a range of widths for a bicycle which make it appropriate to ride in bike lanes, cycle tracks, mixed use paths, etc. bars (or bars with accessories) should not be so wide that two such bikes can’t safely pass each other, or a bike can’t go through the space of a pair of bollards, etc. that said, our bollards aren’t that high except in very special cases. not sure why on earth they’d be needed like that on a rail trail.

the only close calls i ever have with other bikes are with mountain bikes on the golden gate bridge, whose riders/owners seem to think they’re entitled to 2/3 the width of a narrow two way path. it would be like driving a 10’ wide car and expecting everyone to make way for you.

 

[PDoz]

unpopular opinion: there is a range of widths for a bicycle which make it appropriate to ride in bike lanes, cycle tracks, mixed use paths, etc. bars (or bars with accessories) should not be so wide that two such bikes can’t safely pass each other, or a bike can’t go through the space of a pair of bollards, etc. that said, our bollards aren’t that high except in very special cases. not sure why on earth they’d be needed like that on a rail trail.

the only close calls i ever have with other bikes are with mountain bikes on the golden gate bridge, whose riders/owners seem to think they’re entitled to 2/3 the width of a narrow two way path. it would be like driving a 10’ wide car and expecting everyone to make way for you.

What makes you think that's unpopular?

Even as a mountain bike rider, I accept my bars are wider than normal so adjust MY behaviour rather than expecting the world to change for me.

re fixed bollards - surely it makes sense to have something painful and try to change the behaviour of people going through an intersection ? If you can't stop / slow enough to avoid a stationary obstacle, what chance fo you have for a 6 yo child ?

 

[dodgeman]

I do see them on trails here, most of the time they are spaced out and not a problem, I’ve never measured the area you could ride through but I’d guess more than 38”.

 

[Doggyman1202]

Get a rear view mirror that doesn't stick out past your bar ends. That seems like a reasonable solution. I had a bar end mirror for a while but it got destroyed by hitting something as your described. I purchased a better design that was under the grip on the left side.

The reason why bar end rear view mirrors are sold is to sell a lot more as riders break them on obstacles or bike drops. Don't let the bean counters screw you like that.

Pretty much the only mirror type I haven't tried yet is what you're describing, which hangs under the grip. The bar end mirror provides great visibility (although I don't understand why some riders flank both sides with them like Mickey Mouse ears. The left side is enough for observing approaching traffic). I will take your suggestion and look into a mirror under the grip.

Rich C:

If you can't ride between 38" you need to practice balancing more often, or just pay attention!

The only time I ever had a balance issue was my first ride on a fat tire bike, and that's because I tried to turn it like a road bike. No damage done to me (other than muddy shirt and jeans) or the bike. This crash (sideswiped the post) was a slight error of depth perception (I approached the posts slightly from one side instead of straight through) and reflex to avoid a stop sign after taking my eyes off the trail to recover from the handlebar clunk. It happened in a split second. Again, my fault, but I had some help with obstacles.

I still don't think there is enough clearance for these posts (my handlebars are 28" plus the extended mirror) but more to the point, unlike the gates, the narrowly spaced bollards really serve no useful purpose on rail trail intersections, other than perhaps discouraging Harley's and the like. I still see racing bikes zoom through them, so if the objective is to slow down cyclists, it's not working.

I've heard other riders grouse about them too long before my accident. I won't post every anti-bollard post link I've come across, but this one is particularly tragic and passionate: https://www.ohiobikeways.net/ongoing_bollard_hazard.html

 

[chunk]

Slow down and line up better when you go in between the columns. I fail to see how this is even an issue.

 

[vincent]

Wow cannot believe all the negative and rude comments, I am sure none of you guys have ever come up on an obstacle on a trail had to swerve and maybe lose your balance

Sure rich and chunk are perfect bike riders , too bad the rest of us are not so great

The bollards can be different heights and different widths in between sometimes they are tricky depending on a lot of different factors that can change like other walkers/riders coming the other direction etc

 

[mschwett]

…, the narrowly spaced bollards really serve no useful purpose on rail trail intersections, other than perhaps discouraging Harley's and the like. I still see racing bikes zoom through them, so if the objective is to slow down cyclists, it's not working.

yeah. we don’t have things like that on gravel roads and mixed trails here, i really fail to see the purpose. some MUP have speed bumps and roundabout intersections, which seem to work much better.

 

[Catalyzt]

I generally-- but vaguely-- am in favor of bollard posts, but that's b/c of where I ride, my age, and many other variables, and I'm sympathetic to the OP's POV. Up to about age 45, I can easily imagine myself having exactly the same same accident as Doggy, but getting much more worked up about it-- beating the post with a tree branch or tire pump or something to show it who was boss, and making sure it never collided with any rider again!

Out here in Hollyweird, there are too many dirt bikers who would jump onto the trail if it weren't for similar posts and gates, and who would cause mayhem and loss of life and-- far worse, IMSO ("s" is for stupid) cause bikes of all kinds to be banned from trails.

There are some cool mixed-use trails here where I never want to see that happen-- and it totally could, community groups can have a lot of clout here. To that end, I am always ready to dismount and yield for almost anything, and I'm polite to pedestrians, bird watchers, dog walkers, etc. to the point of obsequiousness. "No, please! After you! Lovely day, isn't it-- and was that a red-throated Tazmanian bootlicker? Really?! A common pigeon, sorry-- wow, amazing, how do are you able to recognize them?" I want everyone to think eMTB riders and cyclists in general are the coolest people on the trail, defenders of the helpless and small children, environmental stewards of the highest order, volunteer trail guides, etc., etc. So my default is to stop for all obstacles of this nature and walk my bike through.

When there's no one around, obstacles like this pose an interesting mental exercise. When I'm in a good frame of mind, and just generally on top of my game, I can veer around posts at the edge of drop-offs, navigate through some various traffic calming chicanes, zip between posts or whatever, without dismounting and at reasonable speed. But I kind of do a self-assessment-- I'm often tired or distracted, particularly early in a ride. So at least half the time, I walk my bike through the obstacle even if there's no one around. Why take the chance of injury, or scratching the bike, if I don't feel at least 92.7% confident?

As for speed bumps, yeah, those are invisible to me on Seeker. They are opportunities to pass Porsches, who have to slow down to 30-- Seeker can take the broad, flatter speed bumps on a 25 MPH road at 38 MPH and I literally don't even feel them.

If it makes you feel any better, Dog, I have had WAY more annoying accidents than that-- and far more careless. The worst was slaloming through flag poles on 5th Avenue on my Raleigh Competition in about 1978. Polished sidewalk, zero traction, front wheel completely destroyed. I'm sure the three beers apiece my buddy and I slammed and the joint we smoked halfway through the ride-- yeah, I carried a six pack in a backpack in those days-- had nothing to do with it.

 

[PDoz]

Wow cannot believe all the negative and rude comments, I am sure none of you guys have ever come up on an obstacle on a trail had to swerve and maybe lose your balance

Sure rich and chunk are perfect bike riders , too bad the rest of us are not so great

The bollards can be different heights and different widths in between sometimes they are tricky depending on a lot of different factors that can change like other walkers/riders coming the other direction etc

This is a bad picture of a natural bollard that I love, we rarely manage a group ride where nobody loses balance yet it's called a feature, not an obstacle. Anyone suggesting removing it would discover the true meaning of a rude comment!

The V tree is on an uphill section, just narrower than most bars at bar height so we either need to get the bars up or sideways as they pass through. The base of the V is a stump so that also involves negotiation for both wheels, and pedal height is staggered with the right side closer than left so it involves perfect timing of pedal strokes ( on an already tricky uphill)

It's a fixed feature, it doesn't move as we approach it although occasionally it's made more interesting when the rider in front gets stuck - so we leave enough room / time between riders to cope with that possibility or we stop and walk through.

No children are at risk from an intersection here, there is no crossing traffic, so there is even less reason for the path to pass through this feature - but we adapt rather than request it be removed.

A safety bollard serves a more important function - reducing the risk of coming across unauthorized traffic , warning of potential users crossing from another direction - and signaling the need to adjust speed / concentration enough to allow for this.

What is more rude - pointing this out or calling the people who point it out rude?

 

[Art Deco]

I agree with the OP. Those things are poorly designed and an unnecessary hazzard . @fooferdoggie hit one on his tandem, and I have come close more than once.

 

[Doggyman1202]

Wow cannot believe all the negative and rude comments, I am sure none of you guys have ever come up on an obstacle on a trail had to swerve and maybe lose your balance

Sure rich and chunk are perfect bike riders , too bad the rest of us are not so great

The bollards can be different heights and different widths in between sometimes they are tricky depending on a lot of different factors that can change like other walkers/riders coming the other direction etc

I requested honest reactions, so I'm okay with some tough jabs. I asked for it. It doesn't change my thinking though, and in reality I was fine crossing 99% of the time, which is close to a literal statistic, approximating the number of times I properly zigged instead of zagged across the posts. My takeaway...Iron bollards serve a number of useful purposes, but bike trails are not one of them. Plastic collapsible bollards are a thing, and would serve the same purpose (whatever the hell that is) but far more safely.

I found this article (with a number of strong comments from readers) from 2012. The point of the article is only underscored now by the rising popularity of e-bikes.

https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/04/27/are-bike-path-bollards-an-unnecessary-hazard/

Also, I found a picture on the very same trail at a similar intersection, only the stop sign was on my side of the crossing, and the distance to the embankment was closer to the trail.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I agree with the OP. Those things are poorly designed and an unnecessary hazzard . @fooferdoggie hit one on his tandem, and I have come close more than once.

later we went by it and my wife kicked it and bitched it out.

 

[PedalUma]

I personally don't like stuff like mirrors and other junk on a handle bar. I work on bikes. It is just so easy to flip a bike upside down to check a rotor, tighten a spoke, or adjust a derailleur. Particularly with heavy bikes. I just turn my head to look at what is behind me. I think the advice of bringing in the mirror is sound. That is if you really need it.

 

[PDoz]

I requested honest reactions, so I'm okay with some tough jabs. I asked for it. It doesn't change my thinking though, and in reality I was fine crossing 99% of the time, which is close to a literal statistic, approximating the number of times I properly zigged instead of zagged across the posts. My takeaway...Iron bollards serve a number of useful purposes, but bike trails are not one of them. Plastic collapsible bollards are a thing, and would serve the same purpose (whatever the hell that is) but far more safely.

I found this article (with a number of strong comments from readers) from 2012. The point of the article is only underscored now by the rising popularity of e-bikes.

https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/04/27/are-bike-path-bollards-an-unnecessary-hazard/

Also, I found a picture on the very same trail at a similar intersection, only the stop sign was on my side of the crossing, and the distance to the embankment was closer to the trail.


View attachment 122264

It might be the phone camera distorting the image, but those look too far apart to stop a motorbike?

 

[Doggyman1202]

It might be the phone camera distorting the image, but those look too far apart to stop a motorbike?

I was guessing about the bollard purpose, so I'm not sure. Again, it's definitely wide enough to ride a bike through, but not wide enough to allow much margin for error. The comments section from the linked article offer some other harrowing accounts from experienced riders.

 

[PedalUma]

I am sorry for your crash. But this is not a real issue. Practice. It is like a sour note on the piano. Not the piano's fault.