Bollard Busters!

Riding group takes out two useless bollards in Homebush

Bicycle User Group (BUG) Bike North may have set the record for speedy bollard removal. And possibly alliteration! Because on a recent Botany Bay Bacon ride, Bike North Secretary Brian busted two bollards.

Just north of Parramatta Road at Homebush, there were U-shaped barriers on each side of the bridge over the M4 motorway. Neither bollard performed a useful function other than to inconvenience riders and put them at risk of serious injury.

The U-shaped bollards at either end of the shared user bridge over the M4 motorway in Homebush were unnecessary and very inconvenient (Image: Bike North)

Because bollards are only needed to prevent vehicle intrusion. For example, onto a footpath, into a public building or across a railway track. And where there’s no threat of intrusion by car or truck, there’s no need for a bollard. In the example below, the chicanes, or U-shaped bollards, reduced the gap to less than 1.5 metres right where bike riders need to turn.

Try Snap Send Solve to get rid of that pesky bollard

On that Sunday group ride in July, Brian used Snap Send Solve. The free app then sent his request, via the GPS function, to the appropriate council. Strathfield Council, in turn, identified the barriers, and removed them overnight. So congratulations Bike North and well done Strathfield Council!

Some councils and State projects ignore any request to remove bollards. Then what?

Dangerous bollards are a major health hazard and we are frequently contacted about serious crashes. In one case, a South Coast rider in his 70s collided with a bollard and broke his hip. Since then, Bicycle NSW has advocated alongside Illawarra BUG to have several removed in the Shoalhaven area.

Another bloody bollard on the Nowra Creek share path bridge (Image: Kiama BUG)

In another incident, despite multiple hospitalisations, and repeated removal requests, the infamous Fort Street bollard remains. Indeed, it appears many bollards are placed for aesthetic reasons by traffic engineers who don’t ride bikes or wheelchairs. Not only are they inconvenient, they’re also often non-compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act (1992). Because they violate your right to move freely on the basis of ability. For example, if you happen to be on a personal mobility device or riding a recumbent bike. Or even pushing a pram.

The Fort St bollard at the southern end of the Harbour Bridge Cycleway. Bicycle NSW and BUG members are continuing to advocate for no bollard or safer alternatives to the bone-breaking standard. (Image: Bicycle NSW)

If there’s a bad bollard along your bike route, try the following:

Take good photos from various angles showing visibility and width. And take a bike selfie as measurement. Download the Snap Send Solve app and send a request. If it works, great!
Get in touch with your local BUG and/or Bicycle NSW. We provide advocacy advice on approaching your local council and can assist with letter templates and letters of support.

Tips when approaching council: Clearly label the bollard as a safety issue

Take it from the Bollard Busters. Bollards need to be framed as a public health and safety risk. Otherwise, according to Bike North, a problem bollard becomes a traffic management issue handled by traffic committees. But traffic committees view safety from the car driver’s perspective, not bikes. They often view bollards as decorative embellishments to shared paths. And there is little appreciation of the dangers.

“Bollards often get referred to the engineers, who immediately talk about preserving the asset,” says David Thompson, Bike North’s Advocacy Coordinator. “However, when we contacted the council's inspection staff, they approached it as a public safety issue. That’s when the bollard was removed.”

Bike North is working to persuade the Parramatta Light Rail team to remove some bollards from the new Active Transport Link – which is otherwise excellent.