---
title: "Bollard"
url: "https://commonwaysystem.org/patterns/elements/bollard/"
id: "ELM-BOL-25"
description: "A short, sturdy vertical post installed to block or control vehicle access to a specific area, protect pedestrians or infrastructure from vehicle intrusion, or delineate a boundary, ranging from fixed to removable or retractable designs."
updated: "2026-09-26"
---

# Bollard

`ELM-BOL-25`

Recommended Element

Bollard

A short, sturdy vertical post installed to block or control vehicle access to a specific area, protect pedestrians or infrastructure from vehicle intrusion, or delineate a boundary, ranging from fixed to removable or retractable designs.

## Why this pattern exists

Where a full barrier or curb is not warranted but vehicle access still needs to be controlled or blocked, a plaza edge, a bike facility entrance, a sidewalk protected from a nearby travel lane, bollards provide a lighter-weight, often more flexible solution. This pattern exists to document that distinct, smaller-scale protective and access-control role.

## Key considerations

-   Spacing must allow pedestrian, wheelchair, and stroller passage while still restricting vehicle entry[1]
-   Removable or retractable designs should be specified where emergency or service vehicle access is occasionally needed; where vehicle exclusion is the design driver, crash-rated bollards are spaced and tested to a recognized standard[2]
-   Visibility (reflective marking, contrasting color) matters for both drivers and pedestrians; an unmarked bollard is itself a collision hazard

## Related patterns

[Traffic Barrier](https://commonwaysystem.org/patterns/elements/traffic-barrier.md) (ELM-TRB-23), [Crash Cushion/End Terminal](https://commonwaysystem.org/patterns/elements/crash-cushion-end-terminal.md) (ELM-CCT-24) (related but functionally distinct safety hardware); [Plaza/Parklet](https://commonwaysystem.org/patterns/facilities/plaza-parklet.md) (FAC-PLZ-07), [Bike Parking Corral](https://commonwaysystem.org/patterns/facilities/bike-parking-corral.md) (FAC-BPC-08) (Facility patterns commonly protected by bollards); [Modal Filter / Point Closure](https://commonwaysystem.org/patterns/elements/modal-filter-point-closure.md) (ELM-MFP-44) (the pattern this hardware is most commonly used to build)

## References

1.  Legal / regulatory [U.S. Access Board, Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG), 2023 final rule (adopted into DOT's ADA regulations effective January 17, 2025); 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, Section 403.5.](https://www.access-board.gov/prowag/technical.html)
2.  Legal / regulatory [ASTM International, ASTM F2656/F2656M, standard test method for vehicle crash testing of perimeter barriers.](https://www.astm.org/Standards/F2656.htm)