Bollards are those waist-high plastic rods you’ll sometimes see separating roadways from pedestrian areas. Listener Charlotte Buckley sent us an email asking why there are still temporary bollards at two intersections — 17th and Castle and Third and Market.
The bollards were originally put in as a 90-day pilot project to see whether expanding the curb in those areas would protect pedestrians.
It’s been two years since then, and the bollards are still there. According to a spokesperson with the city, the bollards are still considered a temporary solution. NCDOT will be replacing the ones on 17th and Castle soon, with a curb extension and raised concrete island.
The 3rd and Market bollards don’t have any NCDOT funding available, so the city is pursuing funding to replace them with raised concrete islands as well. There’s no timeline set for that project.
The projects aim to protect pedestrians from cars at intersections where there’s a high volume and speed of traffic, alongside lots of pedestrians.
