
The return of the bikeway bollards
Above: A row of shiny new bollards have replaced those destroyed by hit-and-run drivers.
As promised, the city Department of Transportation has replaced the metal bollards that were struck down, like so many bowling pins, by errant drivers on a curved stretch of The Fallsway.
The destruction of four bollards last fall on the roadway’s bridge over the JFX – followed by additional losses on Guilford Avenue north of Chase Street – came only months after Phase II of the Jones Falls Bike Trail was completed between the Inner Harbor and Penn Station at a cost of $2.62 million.
Sporting a raised curb with heavy paving stones, the bikeway is separated from car traffic north of the Maryland Penitentiary. The need and practicality of the bollards have been questioned by some bicyclists, but the decorative metal posts are considered to be integral to the trail’s design and rider safety by DOT.
The six replacement bollards each cost about $2,000, according to agency spokesperson Adrienne D. Barnes.