Beginner's Guide to Road Bollards

Bollards are small roadside posts with reflectors. They are useful because road agencies repeat the same designs across thousands of kilometres. Your first job is not to name the country immediately; it is to describe the post accurately.

Four-part scan

• Shape: round, square, triangular, wedge-shaped, flat, or curved.
• Top: plain white, black cap, pointed top, sloped top, red/orange band, or snow pole attachment.
• Reflector: round dot, rectangle, square, vertical strip, wraparound band, or two-dot back.
• Side and back: many countries use different colours on the front and rear. Move the camera or look at the opposite side of the road if possible.

Beginner examples to learn first

• France: round white posts are common; a pointed top with a grey/red band is a strong French clue.
• Germany: black-and-white posts with pale reflectors appear very frequently on rural roads.
• Poland: a red band wraps around the post.
• Denmark: white bollard, yellow reflector, and a dark orange stripe.
• Italy and Albania: triangular white bollards with a black top.

A single blurry bollard can mislead you. If you can see three posts along the road and they all match, the clue is much stronger.