Apple wants to install steel bollards in front of Back Bay store to reduce odds of fatal crash

a better location would be just put them three inches from the door so only apple store customers are effected by them...

I see a lot of speculation in the earlier comments made here by some of the UHub community.

I'm somewhat familiar with the site, having made several visits to the store this year, to get ailing equipment fixed.

I think the Hingham incident is a bit of a red herring. Similar accidents, where a confused driver mistakes the gas pedal for the brake, occur with regular frequency. But they're no more likely to happen in front of an Apple Store than elsewhere.

On the other hand, in California there's apparently been a recent trend of after-hours "smash and grab" robberies, where criminals intentionally drive a vehicle through the glass storefront of a retailer that sells high-value products. Having gained access through the broken glass, the crooks then make off with merchandise from the displays. These usually happen in the wee hours of the morning.

I bet that the real goal of Apple's executives in California is to prevent that kind of robbery, and that they're only mentioning the Hingham incident because it was local, and is fresh on people's minds. I wouldn't be surprised if they plan to install similar bollards in front of many of their stores.

The proposed bollards would be much more attractive than the current condition. In recent months Apple has installed some sort of planters in front of the store, which are clearly temporary and rather ugly. The planters have lights in them, with electrical cables running across the sidewalk. And the planters obviously were put there to keep motor vehicles out.

The property line is indeed about 20 feet in front of Apple's building. Setback regulations in the Back Bay go back to the 1800s; they're probably part of the deed restrictions. There are some elaborate formulas that allow entrance stairways, rounded bays, etc., to project out from the building's main wall. The older neighboring building takes advantage of those exemptions, but Apple doesn't.

The artist's rendering does appear to be misleading about the bollards' location. I assume that they would be right at the property line, on Apple's side of the line. That would also explain why Apple seeks permission from the Back Bay Architectural Commission (which can regulate private property), and not from Public Works (which regulates city sidewalks).

Adding loops on the bollards to let them serve as bike racks would turn them into substantial obstacles to pedestrian traffic.

As for the current situation, there's a Blue Bikes rack directly in front of the store. Within the past year, the sidewalk was extended out into the street -- and the parking lane eliminated -- so that the Blue Bikes stand is now on the extended sidewalk. The current Google Street View, dated November 2022, shows that construction in progress. Some earlier Street View photos show the Blue Bikes stand in the former parking lane. The current Google Maps satellite view is also too old to show the new, extended sidewalk.

There is also a mid-block, signaled crosswalk across Boylston directly in front of the Apple Store's east end, and there is a wide curb cut at that crosswalk to allow wheelchair use.