Bollards as Security Theatre

So the purpose of the bollards is not to keep cars off the trail, but to keep cars from getting under the bridge. Still why not - as the photographer Rootchopper points out - move the bollards to run along side the trail? Answer: It's probably more expensive. So on the off-chance that a terrorist would target the Wilson Bridge, and to save a little bit of money, this is what we get. I suspect that these bollards will cause more harm than they'll ever prevent. 

Comments

[Froggie]

Yet there's going to be a parking area under the bridge, accessible from Royal St...

[Eric_W.]

This is a good example of what it means when people stop thinking as soon as they hear National Security. Astonishing.

In any event, as Froggie points out, you can easily get to the bridge a lot of other ways that do not create the same attention as driving a car down a bike path...

Creating an unacceptable safety risk for trail users is not even considered collateral damage. That would imply that the project managers even recognized that there was someone r something to damage.

[TurbineBlade]

I would encourage anyone who believes that these bollards are unnecessary and potential dangerous to contact VDOT - Mr. Garrett Moore

[email protected]

I've already written numerous emails explaining that all they've really done is provided a predictable location for bicycle accidents, and thus have actually made the path LESS safe than it was before.

There's a lot more detail here, but if anyone is really interested in sending VDOT a message, email me @ [email protected] and I can provide you some of the issues I raised and the responsed I received.

TB

[darren]

On twitter, NPS GWMP outed another VDOT point of contact - [email protected]

[TurbineBlade]

Yes, John Lynch has also been Cc on every email I've sent.

BTW - I'd like to hereby always refer to bollards as "kid bashers". Please update your vernacular.

[Nancy]

Or you could call them "widow-makers."

[JeffB]

Given their height one could also call them nut crackers.

[TurbineBlade]

Update -- I was given this document as an explanation about why the bollards are needed for security purposes -- http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?parkId=186&projectId=13128

which explains absolutely nothing. VDOT is so out of it it's unreal. I'm getting asbolutely nowhere with any of them. They either do not respond, or they give a cookie-cutter, pointless response that addresses nothing.

Moving on to elected reps I suppose...
TB

[Crickey7]

These don't look adequate to stop trucks anyway, which would be the only way to damage the bridge.

False sense of security.

[Rootchopper]

As I said elsewhere (my Flickr and blog pages), this is the culmination of 14 months of ineptitude; it was preceded by one dangerous detour after another. This morning the underside of the bridge was obstructed by a humongous paving machine. Despite there being several contractors standing about, not one of them was directing trail traffic around the leviathan.
The only upside to the bollards is that Alexandria will have to employ several more EMTs to care for the injured cyclists.
Some signage and reflective markings are coming but unless a lot of people speak up, this is not going to get fixed.

[Ben Folsom]

I pass this location twice a day on my commute, the whole construction project has me perplexed.

On the south side of the bridge on Royal, leading in from the right in this photo, VDOT has erected a barricade, it looks as though it will be raised and lowered via a keycard. I presume default position is up, meaning unless there is a bike lane set up, which I do not see room for, the permanent solution for commuters and riders is to hop the sidewalk to the right of the barricade.

As seen in the photo, the black bollards are on the path ramp down, I have already had a near miss here, two leisure bikers were coming down side by side when I cut the corner from under the bridge. I see huge potential for accidents here.

The best solution is going to be to bypass the ramp and use the condo drive, the bollards there are smaller and farther apart.

Win or lose I will just be happy when this project is done.

[TurbineBlade]

Hey - if you guys feels strongly about it you should write the VA elected officials. I did earlier today. I'm done with VDOT.

[TurbineBlade]

Added Jim Moran to my list -- letters sent!
TB

[Dave]

You know, maybe this whole thing is being secretly filmed as part of some sadistic reality show.

[Davis]

Too bad the bollards aren't closer together. And they should have made it a hairpin turn under the bridge. 90 degrees is too easy. I'm loving the gravel though.