Wikipedia does actually bring them up as a type of bollard. They don't really fit in with the origin of bollards though, which were to moor ships to. I think t

Wikipedia does actually bring them up as a type of bollard. They don't really fit in with the origin of bollards though, which were to moor ships to. I think that "soft bollards" are made to look like bollards because most people assume that a bollard is a rigid structure and as such treat them in that manner. It's basically just an elaborate traffic cone. A sign is to a "soft bollard" as a "soft bollard" is to a bollard.