Q:

What is the purpose of this pole [bollard] in my garage?

Why is there a three inch pipe filled with concrete sticking out of my garage floor? We've ruled out the obvious explanations: missle launcher, coffee table, NSA listening post, and Mario shortcut. 
So what is it, and more importantly, can it be removed?

Edit: Thanks, Alaska Man, for providing the name of the thing: bollard. 

A:

This is to protect vehicles from damaging gas appliances that lie beyond. This is a code requirement in many jurisdictions, probably including yours, as most builders don't do anything they don't have to.

