The History Of Bollards And Their Original Use As Mooring Posts For Ships
Today bollards are commonly seen on every busy road in all the popular cities. These bollards are primarily used for pedestrians’ safety on the walking roads. It allows the walkers to walk safely on roads where the traffic is usually high. But do you know the fact that these bollards have a very interesting history? The usage of such bollards started in the 14th century. And that time the bollards were referred to as “tree trunks”. Sounds interesting right? But during the 18th century, it had another exciting purpose. In that era, these bollards were used as mooring posts. Such posts were primarily made for the transportation industry. These posts were used while lashing up the ships and boats. But today we have lots of options when it comes to bollards, cast iron bollards, plastic bollards, decorative bollards and more. These bollards are very superior in terms of strength and longevity. Besides this, these bollards assure higher safety for every walker on the road. This is why today top restaurants, malls and hospitals have installed such bollards near the driveways to assure proper safety for all their visitors.
The Official Definition Of Bollards:
The term bollard refers to a post that can be made by using high-quality wood, cast iron, concrete and any other strong material. The word “Bollard” itself is an English word which first originated through a French term called “boulard”. In the French language, the word Boulard means post.
The Original Use Of Bollards In The 18th Century:
At that time bollards had a very fixed purpose. The ship owners had to rely on these bollards to tie up their boats or ships. As bollards like cast iron bollards or concrete bollards had major inner strength so these bollards were widely used to keep the boats or ships in a safe or fixed position. No matter how harsh the weather is, such bollards had all their needed strength to keep the boats fine and upright. So you see in the era of the 18th century these bollards were used as a safety guard for the boats.
Today’s Usages Of Bollards:
With time everything has become more advanced. And as a result, the bollards have become superior in terms of appearance, strength and durability. These days, bollards are also used as street furniture to beautify the overall appearance of the streets. Besides this, it provides strong protection to streetwalkers. It assures the vehicles don’t come across the buildings and walkers directly. It also provides a small parking zone where people can park their bicycles.
Thus to conclude, bollards have a glorious past, important present and predictable future. With time it will be more upgraded in terms of functionality that’s a sure thing.
