The effectiveness of bollards in protecting pedestrians was underscored after photos of a sports utility vehicle crashing into them in Metro Manila circulated online.
Automotive publication VISOR shared reader-submitted photos on Sunday, December 20, showing a Toyota Fortuner colliding with bollards in Pasig City.
“When bollards do their job, pedestrians are protected. This is in Pasig,” the reader was quoted as saying.
The photos showed a damaged SUV near bollards installed along the edge of the sidewalk in Pasig City.
The post drew the attention of Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto, who provided additional context about the installed bollards.
“Aaminin ko [na] minsan, kinakabahan ako na baka may gawa ang LGU [local government unit] na substandard. Bilang mayor, hindi naman ako engineer, kulang ang kakayahan ko at aasa ka lang din talaga sa tao mo,” the Facebook post read.
“Hindi sekreto, lalo na sa ngayon, na marami sa proyekto ng gobyerno ay substandard. Kahit sa private nga, ‘di ba, minsan, shino-shortcut ang gawa,” Sotto added.
The mayor also said he has become stricter with his engineering staff following procurement reforms, emphasizing that this was to ensure contractors carry out their work properly.
Meanwhile, the post about the bollards prompted some Filipinos to recall a similar incident at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 last May.
“Unlike nung bollards sa NAIA Terminal 1… may napanagot ba sa insidenteng ‘yun?” an online user wrote.
“NAIA could never,” another Pinoy commented.
“‘Yan ang quality. ‘Di sayang ‘yong pera ng bayan,” a different X user said.
“Finally witnessing that those bollards are actually effective. Idk [I don’t know], ‘di kasi ako sanay na makakita ng bollards sa normal na sidewalk kaya iniisip ko baka mamaya substandard,” another commented.
Bollards became a hot topic earlier this year when an SUV crashed through them at NAIA, killing a man and a child.
Their effectiveness was questioned after the structures failed to prevent the vehicle from crossing the curbside walkway near the terminal entrance.
Properly designed bollards are meant to create a protective perimeter, preventing vehicles from entering areas with high foot traffic, such as sidewalks. They are typically made from durable materials like stainless steel, concrete or aluminum.
ALSO READ: ‘Not for aesthetic purposes’: Deadly NAIA crash puts bollards under scrutiny
