Bollards bollards everywhere

Our streets are teeming with bollards.
Not so long ago we went to Pau in the South-West of France. As I was taking pictures, I noticed that bollards had multiplied since our last visit, 7 years ago.

What is a bollard anyway?

I had to go to good old Wikipedia to find out. Here is the definition.

A bollard is a sturdy, short, vertical post. The term originally referred to a post on a ship or quay used principally for mooring boats. It now also refers to posts installed to control road traffic and posts designed to prevent automotive vehicles from colliding or crashing into pedestrians and structures, whether intentional from ram raids and vehicle-ramming attacks, or unintentional losses of control.

Bollards bollards everywhere
Basking in the sunshine, looking at the bollards, a newer version of the Stranglers’ Peaches?

Cars have taken over the world and so have bollards.
bollards car
To stop the flow one needed bollards.
Not sure one can moor one’s electric car to a bollard, though.
Bollards bollards everywhere
You can’t escape them, try as you might, they are all over the place, in front of buildings, along the roads and bordering our pavements.

They are part of our cityscape now. People paint them, decorate them, add flower pots to them and what not.

One day as I was walking I came face to face with one of the little buggers pictured above. It did hurt, I can tell you.

Bollards bollards everywhere
Bollards are so ubiquitous I decided they might as well become the main subject of my picture in Pau.
Bollards bollards everywhere
Bollards in the sunshine or a modern day version of a sundial?

Doing away with bollards (virtually at least)

In this picture taken in the Ile de la Cité, in the historic part of the City I found myself with this blasted bollard taking a major part of the photograph. I had to do something about it.
While I was at it, I did away with parts of the pedestrian crossing and the traffic sign on the right.
As I have just found the ‘before/after’ widget and how to use it, I will indulge in a wee image comparison of the same picture with and without these hideous posts.
Yann Gourvennec
Latest posts by Yann Gourvennec (see all)
Cherry Blossoms
Prev Cherry blossoms in Spring and Autumn
Next Clematis
Clematis

Leave a Reply

%d