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 entry1
- 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 standard2
- Visibility (reflective marking, contrasting color) matters for both drivers and pedestrians; an unmarked bollard is itself a collision hazard
Related patterns
Traffic Barrier (ELM-TRB-23), Crash Cushion/End Terminal (ELM-CCT-24) (related but functionally distinct safety hardware); Plaza/Parklet (FAC-PLZ-07), Bike Parking Corral (FAC-BPC-08) (Facility patterns commonly protected by bollards); Modal Filter / Point Closure (ELM-MFP-44) (the pattern this hardware is most commonly used to build)
References
- 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.
- Legal / regulatory ASTM International, ASTM F2656/F2656M, standard test method for vehicle crash testing of perimeter barriers.