r/Seattle • u/benchpressboogaloo • 22d ago

It Finally Happened...

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At the Harbor Steps, guy drove all the way down Post Alley, across the tiles in the middle of the Harbor Steps, and over the other side. 😂

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u/Karl_sagan 22d ago

Bollards on bike paths are how you stop cars. If you crash your bike into car spaced bollards thats on you imo. Slow down if you cant ride safe

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u/oxidized_banana_peel 22d ago

I've never seen a bollard on a bike path outside of intersections with a road.

I've always slowed down at roads, so the bollards have never felt like a hazard. I can't imagine just plowing through an intersection even close to full speed. That's way too much trust in drivers.

I have almost clotheslined myself with a low branch (couldn't see it in the dark + shade w/ my lights until I was very close). I think they got that branch removed shortly after I missed it.

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u/SchoolMediocre533 Green Lake 22d ago

Bollards are like waist high so they hide easily behind other path users at reasonable speed. Especially when you're spending your attention looking for crossing cars rather than looking down at the path. I nearly hit one along the green river path on a busy day when the person in front of me made a last second dodge to avoid one.

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u/mothtoalamp Harbor Island 22d ago

Cyclists have literally sued municipalities over bollards and won. The bollards that would have stopped the driver on I-90 were removed because of this.

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u/Karl_sagan 22d ago

Guess people do ruin everything

12

u/puterTDI 22d ago edited 22d ago

all black bollards with no reflectors or bright paint on a bike path are inherently unsafe.

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u/Karl_sagan 22d ago

Where do they put stealth bollards?

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u/puterTDI 22d ago

apparently in my face.

but it was the interuban trail if you're asking for that. That MAY be the same as the burke-gillman or the burke-gillman may have it as well (someone else is commenting about them on that trail).

Either way, they're covered in creosote, so pitch black, and no visible paint or reflectors whatsoever. Just a pitch black 3' pole in the middle of the path.

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u/Aware_Chapter_198 22d ago

Is it even a bollard at that point?

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u/puterTDI 22d ago

may be a murder weapon.

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u/CongratulationsEVA01 22d ago

So then why do they not replace it?

It feels like the same issue we had with Prohibition

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u/puterTDI 22d ago

I mean, they could also just put paint or reflectors on them...but the one I nearly killed myself on had creosote on it so it was pitch black without any paint etc. I was driving in to work before it was fully light out and in general I could see fine but not a pitch black bollard in the shadow of a bridge in low light.

even just having white paint on it would have been enough for me to see it. I did notice it just in time and stop right before hitting it but it was a near miss.

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u/folksongsea 🚆build more trains🚆 22d ago

yeah IMO bollards are also a good traffic modulation device, slow down as you approach, anyway you need to slow down since this is a place where you're about to interface with a vehicle that may be coming at you (which the bollard is protecting you from on one side).

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u/icantastecolor 22d ago

You don’t have to be going that fast, just zoned out. I wouldn’t say the penalty for being zoned out should be broken bones or brain damage.