Bollards on trails - Question for Feb. 25

[ROlson]

Here is this week's poll question. Please vote on www.chicoer.com and discuss here.

"What do you think Chico city officials should do about bollards, the devices used to prevent vehicles from driving on trails?"

Thank you.

[Mary Kelly]

I remember lovely springtime evenings, before bollards, when I could pull up to a picnic table,and prepare a meal for my children while they played in the creek. Because of the ability to pull my car close to the picnic area we could have dinner, a little play time and still get home in time for baths, prayers and bed before work and school the next day.

Closing off that side of the park made that pretty much impossible; as most picnic sites on the other side of the creek require hiking in our supplies (single mom, small children) adding enough time to the outing that it was impractical to do on a week night.

I'm a grandmother now, but I still remember my disappointment when the bicycle elitists closed off South Park Drive.

[bike lover]

I tend to slow down when coming upon the bollards, but then I don't ride in a big mob, so they are easy to spot.

[senior biker]

Keep the bollards and drive safely. Enough said.

[jack rawlins]

The bollards are just the right height so that a cyclist who hits one flies over the top and lands on his head. They serve no purpose, so I would remove them, but if you must have them lengthen them so a cyclist runs into, but not over, them.

[Bike enthusiast]

What happen to Ed is tragic, and that is saying it mildly. However, these bullards need to stay in place. They do have an intended purpose that has worked the majority of the time to date.

[Doctor Chipper]

There are far more erratic and irresponsible drivers out and about than wayward bicyclists. So I say leave the bollards alone. We cyclists need to be highly attentive with our eyes wide open at all times when near them. They serve a fine purpose and should stay right where they are.

[MWC]

I know 5 different cyclists who have been injured by hitting a bollard. I have not seen any statistics on bollards helping or preventing injury by preventing motor vehicle access to bike paths. Either remove them or modify them to make them safer.

[Ken in Oroville]

This is not about the bollards blocking off the road. They are highly visable. The round bollards blocking off the paths and bridges all have collision scars on them. They are so short that a walker, or even a large dog blocks their view. They are a safety hazard that other cities have removed without dire consequences. They represent a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. If, in spite of injuries and logic, they are kept in place, at least make them taller so that they are visable. Perhaps something with a flexible wand extending to a height of four or five feet.

[Tyson Schroeder]

The bollards are frankly a landmine waiting for a cyclist, paying attention or not. I don't think anyone could argue that Ed is THE most experienced and knowledgeable cyclist in Chico, so if Ed fell victim these devices clearly present a threat to us all.

Also, there are already some bike paths in the area that had bollards and at some point they have been removed - with no obvious consequences such as vagrant motorists who think it so fun to drive on bike paths.

Motorists aren't allowed on bike paths because the weight of a vehicle exceeds the limit the pavement on the bike paths can withhold, if anyone is more protective than cyclists of the bike paths (aren't we always trying to get more?) I would like to meet them. But I for one would rather have cracked pavement instead of broken bones and broken heads.

[David Welch]

They need to be approached on a case by case basis. Some bollards - for example on the bridges over the Lindo Channel, or in the entrances to the park - serve real purposes. Others, like on the bike path to the airport, have no function at all, since anyone who wants to can drive around them and enter the path anywhere. Those on the Midway path were removed some time ago, with absolutely no problem with drivers on the path. Many of the bollards are in places where anyone who wants to can drive around them - including the one Ed hit off North Park Drive. Take a look at it - there is wide open ground on either side of the path, so any motorist wishing to drive around it can do so. Then where bollards are needed, consider either a breakaway design or just making it taller so it's easier to see and so one hits it in a less devastating way.

[Park Lover]

The bollards are dangerous, not just to cyclists, but to walkers as well. They are too low to see if there is congestion around them. Don't laugh, but I've walked into one and I bet I'm not alone. The bruie on my thigh was a doozy, but I was too embarrassed to complain. A mom with a stroller and a dog, chatting with a friend while looking out for traffic coming the other way can easily walk right into one. For a cyclist the danger is multiplied because of the height, you just go right over the top and watch your head!

What's the big deal with making the bollards flexible? It seems like this would make everyone happy. Maybe cyclists can spearhead a community funding effort so there's NO reason for anyone to complain.

[Biker Phil]

Leave the bollards alone and make people that run into them take a DUI test.

[park user Chico]

The bollards should be heightened so that they can be seen more readily but large groups of riders should not be flying through lower park...there are plenty of other roadways for them to ride in large groups.It is unsafe and intimidating for the walkers in lower park.
There are plenty of young children, dogs on leashes and elderly couples who would like to take a walk without worrying about a large group of aggressive bike riders flying past. I am a hiker, walker and bicyclist and I believe the peleton should be excluded from the lower park.
I love that cars cannot enter on the south side and hope that people can still enjoy themselves without worrying about being run over by anything

[Common Sense]

It's funny how someone can put blame on an inanimate object. That bollard must've just jumped out and hit Ed and other cyclists. My son open the car door and hit himself on the lip because he was not paying attention. I probably should remove that car door. And anytime I stub my toe on table leg or step, I probably should have those removed too. I'm sorry that Ed was seriously injured but honestly, shouldn't his riding buddies have warned him about the bollard if they thought it was dangerous. Isn't pointing out a hazard a common thing that is done when riding in a group? Hmmmm...if you want to point some blame, let's use some common sense and point to something that can actually have some responsibility, not an inanimate object.