Fancy that. I was doing product research not 5 days ago trying to find a particular type of corner bollard for a garage, and after I googled all around I ended up on that site. I could only think, There's a guy out there who documents the bollards in his city. The internet truly has everything*.
*Except of course info on the bollard that I am looking for. posted by yeti at 1:03 PM on February 16, 2011 [3 favorites]
The Rising Bollards is the name of my imaginary punk band. posted by Faint of Butt at 1:04 PM on February 16, 2011
The 2nd last guy whacks the windshield so hard he's grabbing his head the whole time he's out of the car. Would NOT like to be in his shoes, what, with a wife and baby in the car!
The last driver clearly smashes his windshield, he hits it that hard with his head. posted by uncanny hengeman at 1:20 PM on February 16, 2011
Definitely postmodern. posted by scruss at 1:41 PM on February 16, 2011
I've never seen a bollard drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's. posted by tommasz at 1:41 PM on February 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
They may be annoying as all hell to pedestrians, but they sure do work.
Holy guacamole! That is one dead truck driver in real life.
Q. What's the last thing that goes through that truck driver's mind? A. The load in the back. posted by uncanny hengeman at 1:56 PM on February 16, 2011
I often buy my finest bespoke jockstraps at Bollards of London. posted by kuujjuarapik at 2:07 PM on February 16, 2011
Wow. Robert Bollard is even more prolific than I suspected! posted by battleshipkropotkin at 2:15 PM on February 16, 2011
Am I alone in having been totally elated upon discovering there was a word for those things? posted by 7segment at 2:17 PM on February 16, 2011
7segment: "Am I alone in having been totally elated upon discovering there was a word for those things"
No, me too. Probably the most productive thing in my day was learning the word "bollard". posted by octothorpe at 2:32 PM on February 16, 2011
Never mind the Bollards... posted by chavenet at 3:01 PM on February 16, 2011
7segment, no, I was giving directions a few months ago and the woman seemed oddly fixated on the word, and seemed to want me to tell her not only how I learned it, but also the whole etymology. I hope she actually remembered the directions. Oh, and I know that particular word because my Dad's a civil engineer.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZO3w3amvDd0/RnCXWm8XNCI/AAAAAAAAAUM/sYhYtRLVWKM/s1600-h/jellyad.jpg posted by BrotherCaine at 4:29 PM on February 16, 2011
Isn't it generally accepted that traffic devices shouldn't actively attempt to harm drivers? Why use rising bollards instead of a passive enforcement camera? The active bollard appears to increase risk of injury and reduce the likelihood of driver accountability (assuming the impact is not reported). In particular, it increases the risk of injury to people who are not the driver, such as passengers and other road users (esp. pedestrians and cyclists).
Why are rising bollards used instead of enforcement cameras? posted by ryanrs at 6:23 PM on February 16, 2011
Amazing how many of those bollards look like Daleks. posted by jenkinsEar at 7:28 PM on February 16, 2011
For all those who hadn't heard the word "bollard" before, you now know one of my favorite obscure words for an everyday object; I learned it from my brother the civil engineer. Another is "callipygous", also publicized via metafilter. Damn internet ruins everything! Nice post, though. I have to share it with my aforementioned brother. posted by TedW at 7:58 PM on February 16, 2011
I can't believe we've gone several dozen comments and no one has mentioned that "The Bollards" is the name of the band Reg Inchmale produces in Wiliam Gibson's Bigend trilogy. They are from London also. I wonder if Gibson was inspired by this site. posted by subdee at 9:16 PM on February 16, 2011
ryanrs: "Why are rising bollards used instead of enforcement cameras?"
1) They actually prevent something from happening, rather than allowing it to happen and punishing it afterwards. This is obviously relevant for purposes such as preventing people from parking in the fire access lane or driving a car bomb in front of the Randomistani Embassy.
2) They are cheaper to deploy en masse than cameras and their related infrastructure.
3) There are no privacy concerns when installing a bollard. posted by brokkr at 4:14 AM on February 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
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Sounds about right.
posted by defenestration at 12:56 PM on February 16, 2011 [1 favorite]