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Are bike path bollards an unnecessary hazard?—Biking Bis Pagel of 3 <br /> Biking Bis <br /> Bicycle touring and more... <br /> Are bike path bollards an unnecessary hazard? <br /> Categories: Bicycle Advocacy, Bike trails, Main Page <br /> by Gene Bisbee <br /> April 27, 2012 <br /> Whenever I used to come across a bollard in a bike trail,rd get the righteous feeling of <br /> ownership that this was my trail;cars cannot get in. <br /> ' Now I worry that a bicyclist might hit the bollard and suffer an injury.Are bollards safe? <br /> Not always.Experienced bicyclist Giuseppe MainO,53,died from injuries he suffered when he <br /> struck a bollard on the Richland B&O A in Bellvi7le,Ohio,this week. <br /> ,'.fit` , Maino was riding at the rear of a group of cyclists when he struck the center of three poles <br /> installed in the trail. <br /> Bollard on Bellevue trail The Marion Star said the tragedy is causing local officials to reconsider the use of bollards.A <br /> park district director said there have been some falls and scrapes in the past,but nothing this <br /> serious. <br /> California case <br /> Another notable case involves Ed McLaughlin,a bicycle advocate from Chico,California,who crashed into a trail bollard on a group ride in 2007 <br /> and suffered a severe neck injury.It prompted the annual Tour de Ed that raises funds for injured cyclists in the Chico area <br /> I suppose the big question is whether bollards are actually necessary and,if so,how can they be made safer.As bike advocate Josh Putnam writes <br /> at Dark Bollards;Dangerous Bollards: <br /> If we were discussing a roadway,no competent traffic engineer would consider placing unmarked telephone poles between the lanes <br /> with no additional clearance or warnings.The results would be too obvious.Yet some of these same traffic engineers will suggest <br /> placing bollards in the middle of bicycle trails with essentially no warning for the bicyclists. <br /> According to the Marion Star,the bollard that Maino struck this week was the center of three that were set <br /> across the trail with no intersection nearby.That seems totally unnecessary. <br /> Visibility <br /> Visibility is a major issue. <br /> The bollard in the photo at top was placed at an entrance to a new trail in the Factoria area of Bellevue, <br /> Wash.The metal pole itself is painted a dark green,but reflective lane markings direct bicyclists around it. <br /> http://www.bikingbis.com/2012/04/27/are-bike-pa2g-bollards-an-unnecessary-hazard/ 10/16/2017 <br />