those little white bollards in the centre of the road with the arrow showing you which way to drive are way too fragile. everywhere you go, you see them flattened.
what we need are frangible bollards, possibly inflatable or made of paper or filled with jelly babies or something. however they must have the ability to re-erect themselves after being hit by a car or a motorbike or *a frozen chicken or short-sighted superhero.
(*thanks DC)-- po, Dec 07 2004 example of a "keep left" bollard. http://www.leda-lite.co.uk/klb_1.jpg [po, Dec 08 2004] Flexible (Non-Frangible) Bollards http://www.cheshirecoatings.co.uk/These folks seem right proud of their contributions to the traffic safety industry, including flexible bollards. [jurist, Dec 08 2004] Bash Street Kids http://www.paulmorr.../bashstreetkids.htmBollards! [salachair, Dec 08 2004] Allegrini bollards. http://www.autopa.c...ticvergemarkers.htmAs used by professionals. [DrBob, Dec 08 2004] Flocking bollards http://news.bbc.co..../nature/3666989.stmIt's a bit creepy, really. [salachair, Mar 02 2005] Aussie1's link as a linky. http://www.ausposts.com/welcome to hb, Aussie1 [po, Apr 26 2006] bollards blog http://bollardsoflondon.blogspot.com/ [po, Feb 19 2011] Obligatory "fill them with custard" post.-- calum, Dec 07 2004 Are they not often used on pedestrian islands on busy roads? In this application, they should be rock solid to protect pedestrians.-- david_scothern, Dec 07 2004 hmmm, thats a thought. nah, the pedestrian is not there long enough...-- po, Dec 07 2004 Image available? Don't know what you're talking about.-- waugsqueke, Dec 08 2004 This would also stop the little buggers round my way ripping them off the islands and leaving them in the middle of the road.-- oneoffdave, Dec 08 2004 Surely the problem with the current bollards is that they are all too frangible [po]? Anyhoo, there was one that was always being ploughed over or attacked by local miscreants at the end of my road. It has now been replaced by a squishy, bouncy one that has thus far withstanded all attacks. This is baked, therefore but not widely deployed so [+].-- DocBrown, Dec 08 2004 make all bollards sit upon an air vent and make 'em all inflatable. They'll stand up properly, cause no damage when you hit 'em, can't be used by students to decorate statues and whenever they are smacked by a car, they just pop straight back up again.
Like a weeble.-- jonthegeologist, Dec 08 2004 Anything with the word 'bollards' in it gets my vote. Bollards is the title of my overview of the halfbakery, so named in honour of the Bash Street Kids, who used to shout it with rib-tickling regularity.-- salachair, Dec 08 2004 surely the real aim for us is to stop these keep left signs from mugging passers by-- rambling_sid, Dec 08 2004 Have to vote against this one, as the single-minded and vindictive pursuit of street furniture demolishing idiots kept me in employment (and thoroughly entertained) for several years. Indestructible bollards would be the death-knell for one of the most (strangely) interesting jobs that I've had. Three cheers for the Bash Street Kids though!-- DrBob, Dec 08 2004 just got one word to say to you DrBob.-- po, Dec 08 2004 [strokes beard and ponders what word it could possibly be]-- DrBob, Dec 08 2004 I'm giving it a bun just for use of the word "frangible"-- kmlabs, Dec 09 2004 Yeah, "frangible" is a neat word, but it doesn't mean "flexible" or "resilient", as is implied by its use in context here.-- jurist, Dec 10 2004 My heart is frangible.-- bristolz, Dec 10 2004 creative use, sorry. as in - intended to be broken.
bris, likewise: mendable I hope.-- po, Dec 10 2004 Any reason these bollards have to be three dimensional? Could we not just have a sheet of sprung steel sticking vertically out of the ground with the sign painted on? It could be lit from below by a small spot recessed into the ground in front of it and would "boing" pleasantly when struck. You could also play it with a violin bow, a la "playing the saw" - a more constructive Saturday night way to cause mayhem.-- wagster, Dec 10 2004 The only potential drawback I can see with the sprung steel version is that if something collided with it edge on, the sign may well penetrate the colliding object.-- oneoffdave, Dec 10 2004 Yeah but [...dave] I think think it would be worth it. My head's full of visions now of drunks stumbling home from the pub and serenading us with the unearthly "boinging" sounds created by bending a roadsign over and tapping it with a key. It certainly beats the sound of a phonebox being kicked in!-- kmlabs, Dec 10 2004 Around here, [wagster]'s idea of 2-D bollards is baked - a sheet with the sign, on a springy steel "foot".-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Mar 02 2005 baked,they have a flexable bit at the bottom and they spring back after you hit them.doesnt stop them scraping up the bumper and underside of ure car when you go over them (the have large ,flat metal plates bolted to the top and if you hit it at an angle it tears up ure car) .theyr great for firing dog turds with-- andrew1, Apr 05 2005 I'm just gonna pretend that that last sentence was one long misspelling intended to say something completely different.-- david_scothern, Apr 05 2005 ure. sp: dad's-- po, Apr 05 2005 (Look of horror as [d_s] thinks he might understand [po]'s anno... aaarghh)-- david_scothern, Apr 05 2005 Australian company "AUSPOSTS" produces preventative maintenance products and are currently trialing rubber flexible bollards and removable bollards that will absorb impact and return to upright position (amazibgly simple system fits most standard bollards) with view to releasing them in the new financial year. Visit www.ausposts.com (bollard info yet to be posted but can request brochures by email).
By the way- "frangible" means breakable but is commmonly mis-used in road maintenance industry to refer to a post that is "flexible".
As an Aussie: Cheers to those who have the time to spend every night in the pub! Sounds healthy to me- Stress is the number one killer in the modern world!-- Aussie1, Apr 26 2006 I just liked the word, Aussie1. cheers, mate!-- po, Apr 26 2006 With respect to vandals, I don't have a clue, but why not stop cars hitting them at all? All bollards should be giant electromagnets that repel cars! Er .. I haven't though this through entirely, but they could be strong enough to 'direct' a car away rather than fling it in movie-fashion.-- kuupuuluu, Apr 26 2006 Back in my student days we found a wobbly bollard, presumably suffering from a recent impact, and put it out of its misery by taking it back to our flat. With a lightbulb inside it, it provided a nice subtle light in our lounge.-- imaginality, Apr 26 2006 As [AWOL] points out - I think I've seen thin reflective bollards. My brother calls them "bop-bops", because of the noise the make when you run them over. Perhaps they should have ribbing along them to make them Frangible Mumble Strips - they could say things like "OOh!" "Argh!" and "Ouch!".
Top marks for "frangible bollards" though, I only wish I could bun somemore.-- Dub, Apr 26 2006 Nice linky; nailed one rather nicely yesterday while backing up: they put it in the street rather than on the sidewalk; like drivers are supposed to notice every little detail like that.-- FlyingToaster, Feb 19 2011 same size & shape as a child. hmmmm, not sure about that FT.-- po, Feb 19 2011 random, halfbakery