On Sun, 30 Aug 2020 12:24:56 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

Posts or bollards in paths are signs of an ignorant designer. AASHTO
standards have advised strongly against them for decades, yet they seem
to be the default choice for excluding motor vehicles.

One of our club's best riders crashed and was knocked out last year,
despite falling onto a crushed limestone trail and despite her magic
hat. She was swerving suddenly to avoid a bollard. I'm very aware of
them and call out warnings when riding with others.

This was a perfectly-innocent gatepost.

When going around locked gates, one should be careful.

The bypass of the gate between Oakwood Cemetary and Beyer Farm Trail
is a zig-zag, forcing one to get off and walk. (I think; I've never
used it, and I haven't seen it since early last winter.) But I think
that it was pedestrians that they had in mind when they installed a
bypass -- I rarely met another bike when it was safe to ride on Beyer
Farm Trail, but lots of walkers, particularly nurses on lunch hour and
flocks of young children on field trips from schools. (I rarely met
anyone at all in the only spot where it would be possible to get off
the trail to let him pass at a safe distance.) The zig-zag would be
to inhibit the import of stone-toppling machinery.


But when I was in Upstate New York, a truly terrifying bollard was
common. As if it were not enough that it was short enough that even a
small child could land on the top of it if he happened to trip or fall
off his bike near it, it was *hollow*, so that the child would be
cored.

And, of course, the wobbly children had to ride between two such
bollards.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at centurylink dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/