The following article was written by Nick Carr and provides some information on the origin of the name "bollards" and how bollards have developed into the parking posts and poles supplied by Vistaplan Streetware.

The article was first published by EzineArticles who awarded Nick the rating: Basic Level Expert Author

Traffic Management and Parking

Bollards may be defined as short vertical posts and originally the term meant a post used on a quay used for mooring ships. It has been suggested that the name is inherited from the Norman-French word Boulard – a short wooden, iron or stone post. An alternative is that it comes from the French “bole”, which referred to a short stout stump of wood used for tying boats alongside piers and jetties.

Bollards have been used to prevent vehicular access for many years and indeed some were made from cannons captured during the Napoleonic War (1803 – 1815), with subsequent bollards being replicas of these original cannons.

Bollards are generally understood to be permanent fixtures and have a larger cross-section than parking poles, posts and cones; they are normally designed to restrict vehicular access onto pedestrian areas. Some bollards are illuminated from within and are intended to provide directional indication.

Traffic poles, posts and cones are usually smaller than bollards are more often designed and situated to provide a demarcation between traffic flows and between traffic and pedestrians.

This article describes the use of poles and posts in this latter context. Most, if not all, are painted or powder coated with reflective and/or highly visible surfaces. Others are galvanised to provide a rustproof finish. Among the names are:

• Parking posts
• Parking poles
• Traffic cones

Many are so sited that they are permanent fixtures, these are called:

• Fixed posts
• Permanent poles
• Fixed Bollards

Where fixed posts are not required a variety of methods to temporarily remove, conceal or disable bollards a have been developed:

1. Enabling the posts to be lowered into the ground, these are referred to as:

• Retractable posts
• Rising poles
• Mole posts

2. Folding the poles flat thus allowing vehicles to pass over them. These are referred to as:

• Hinged posts
• Folding poles
• Collapsible posts

3. Temporarily removing the posts

Rather than concealing posts or folding them flat they can be fitted into permanent fixtures in the ground (or on the surface) by means a of a locking device. The posts may then be removed when access is required – larger poles are fitted with grab handles to make this process more convenient. These are referred to as removable bollards or removable posts.

Deformable Parking Posts

Another option is to have permanently fixed bollards that are made of flexible plastic materials that can withstand a collision with a vehicle or even be flexible enough to be run over and then return to the upright position without causing damage to the bollard or vehicle. These are referred to as:

• Self-righting bollards
• Flexible bollards
• Deformable parking posts

Each type of parking post has its own unique features and many are available in different sizes. With such a range to choose from it should be possible to select the type that best suits your need.

You can read about the Vistaplan Streetware Parking Posts and Bollards and other Streetware Articles on other pages of this web site.