Board Thread:FAQs/@comment-36926079-20190801193714/@comment-98.174.233.132-20191110063355

I think it's important to note that the streetlamps as well as the road barriers are never confirmed to be hardlight, and in fact don't have many of the properties of hardlight. Hardlight is, as the name implies, hard. The road barrier stopped literally nothing from passing through it, and you could argue that the  mech broke it, but it doesn't seem like it was anything more than a simple projection and that the barrier to stop cars was the large concrete one that the projection was on top of. Similarly we never see anyone touch the lamposts and they may just be advanced projection technology.

Just because light is shaped in this universe does not mean it's hardlight, and assuming that it is ignores the main trait of hardlight. The light would need shape AND density to be hardlight. What's likely is they use a very small amount of hardlight dust to make shaped projections like the roadway barriers and lamps. That eplains why the barriers and constructs aren't actually strong, but can have realized shapes without something to directly project onto. And also why the weapon and shield forms of hardlight are still considered "rare" in combat.