Bollards

Bollards (that my autocorrect keeps changing to bollocks) are also useful indicators in determining where you are. The bollards listed in this section are the bollards most worth knowing. This is due to their frequency, unique features and/or usefulness in distinguishing one country from another. Additional and more esoteric bollards are mentioned lower down this article in the country specific section.

Although bollards are relatively rare in the UK compared to some other European countries, they are rather unique looking and consist of black and white sections with a large red rectangle on top.

Portugal uses these fairly generic bollards. The front contains a vertical, white rectangle encased in the black section. This helps distinguish the country from Spain. The back of Portuguese bollards feature two white circles in the black section. Similar looking bollards can be found in Luxembourg, Sweden (without the circles on the back) and Latvia (narrower bollards). There is a rarer type of Portuguese bollard that has a fatter orange rectangle in place of the white rectangle.

Spanish bollards are fairly unique. They feature the standard European black and white bollard with a bright yellow rectangle encased in the black section of the bollard.

There are two types of French bollard, both are the same distinct shape and different from typical European bollard shapes. This is the first type with a gray reflector strip running around it.

This is the second type of French bollard. It has a red reflector strip running around it. Like the first type of French bollard, it has a unique shape, different from standard European bollards.

A few types of bollards are visible in the Netherlands. This type is the most commonly seen. Similar looking bollards are found in Turkey and Australia.

This is the front view of a German and Luxembourg bollard; they look rather generic. The back of the bollards contain two white circles in the white section. Portugal and Sweden have similar bollards to Luxembourg.

The most common Italian bollard has a front that features a vertical, red rectangle inside a black, diagonal strip. Note that the black part goes to the top of the bollard- this is rare in the bollard world. Albanian bollards look similar however bollards are rare in Albania. The rear of Italian bollards have a white rectangle rather than the red rectangle of the front.

bol sardinia

The island of Sardinia (Sardegna) has similar bollards to mainland Italy however the rectangle is orange in colour.

This is the type of bollard found in Sicily. Note the rectangle’s width and the fact that it can be orange or red in colour.

Albania has the same looking bollards at Italy featuring a red rectangle in the black section of the bollard that extends to the top. Bollards are fairly rare to see in Albania compared to Italy. Albanian bollards have a white rectangle on their rear.

Finnish bollards are either cylindrical or look cylindrical from the front. This cylindrical shape isn’t shared by the bollards of the other Nordic countries. Otherwise, Finnish bollards look like fairly generic, black and white, European bollards. Finnish bollards look similar to Estonian bollards.

This is what the front of bollards in Denmark look like. They are a unique looking bollard and occur abundantly throughout the country. The rear of the bollard lacks the yellow section.

These distinctive yellow bollards are visible right across Iceland.

The reflectors on the front of Austrian bollards are either blackish or dark red in colour. Seeing this black reflector and the black hat on the bollard is one of the easiest ways to tell that you are in Austria. No other countries have both of these features on their bollards. Slovenian and Montenegrin bollards look similar however they have a bright red rectangle.

Swiss bollards are often this curved-cylindrical shape. This is the front of the bollard. The back of the bollard features two white dots in the black section.

Polish bollards have a red diagonal stripe wrapping around the bollard.

This is what the front of Lithuanian bollards look like- they have a white rectangle on the rear instead of orange. These plastic bollards (that look like wood) with an orange rectangle are one of the best ways to distinguish Lithuania from the other Baltic countries (and other European countries). Latvia and Estonia both have bollards with a white rectangle on the front and white dots on the back. Bollards are found every few meters on well-frequented roads in Lithuania. The Lithuanian bollards are thinner than typical plank bollards.

The most common type of Latvian bollard is a thin plank with a generic white rectangle on the front. The rear of the most common type of Latvian bollard has two white circles.

Standard Estonian bollards are cylindrical. This contrasts the narrow plank bollards of Lithuania and Latvia. The front of Estonian bollards have the white rectangle encased in the black section, similar to the Latvian bollards. Estonian bollards will on rare occasions have a yellow rectangle rather than the white rectangle. Estonian bollards have two white circles on their rear. Estonian bollards look similar to Finnish bollards.

The is a Czech and Slovakian bollard. Both Czech and Slovakian bollards have these unique fluro orange stripes in the black section of the bollard. The back of Czech and Slovakian bollards have a white rectangle in the black section.

This is the front view of Slovenian and Montenegrin bollards. Serbia also have similar looking bollards- albeit with the red rectangle far to one side. Slovenian and Montenegrin bollards look like many Austrian bollards however Austria has a black or darker (blacker) reddish rectangle.

This is the front view of Hungarian, Bulgarian, Croatian and North Macedonian bollards. These countries also share the same white (rather than red, like the front) rectangle on the back of their bollards.

This is the main type of Serbian bollard. It resembles the bollards of Slovenia and Montenegro however the difference is that the Serbian red rectangle is always to one side- not in the centre.

This is the rarer version of Serbian bollards. Note that the red rectangle is also to one side. The rear of the bollard has a white rectangle. Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary and North Macedonia have similar looking bollards but instead have the red rectangle centered.

This is the most common type of Ukrainian bollard. It has a red rectangle that is wider than the rectangles of Hungary, Bulgarian, Croatia and North Macedonia. Ukrainian bollards look like Russian bollards however Russian bollards are attached to a narrow support pole. Ukrainian bollards are typically run-down with the rectangle often damaged.

This is a Russian bollard. Russian bollards often have a unique feature- a narrow support pole on one side of them. This makes them unique from Ukrainian bollards. Russian bollards are primarily found at intersections.

The first type of bollard in Australia features a red rectangle. This bollard looks similar to bollards in Turkey and the Netherlands.

The second type of Australian bollard features a red circle.

Rural bollards in the state of Western Australia often have these brown/gray segments on their base.

bol nz

New Zealand has unique bollards lining their highways that have a red/orange strip that stretches around the higher part of the bollard.

These narrow, red and white signs are in some ways the bollard equivalent in South Africa. They are very common.

The front and back view of Japanese bollards.

Cambodian bollards look a bit like fat matches. They have a white body and red head.

Thai bollards have an obelisk shape. They have alternating black and white sections.

Malaysian bollards have two red rectangles on them. Some bollards have two gray rectangles on one side.

Kyrgyzstan has bollards painted white with a black section. They look like thick planks of wood.

Mongolian bollards remind me of the pins from ten-pin bowling. Sometimes they lack the stripes and are just white.

Bangladeshi bollards look like chimneys and are painted in alternating red and white sections. Sometimes the bollards are shorter than this image and thus have less red and white sections.

These bollards are a common sight throughout Turkey and resemble the Australian and Netherlands bollards however they have a slightly fatter rectangle in Turkey.

Ecuador has a number of different shaped bollards. The type pictured is the most common- featuring two red stripes. Another Ecuadorian bollard contains just one red stripe.

Peru’s most common bollards look like cigarettes. They sometimes have the black stripes pictured here but on other occasions they lack these black stripes.

Mexican bollards are white and cigarette shaped. They have a black section on the base of the bollard or near the base.

A Google Spreadsheet document showing the bollards used in every country can be viewed here. It was created by Mahbows on reddit. In the country specific section of this article, further down, more esoteric bollards are described. (credit to The Digital Labyrinth)

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