Bollard Covers

We've often been asked if we can provide our SlowStop Bollards in various colors and differing heights.  We pride ourselves on quick product delivery, so it doesn't always make sense to attempt to stock every color and possible height a customer might want.  Instead, we've added a line of plastic bollard covers to our most popular rebounding bollard kits that provide additional benefits to simply painting our steel bollards.

In addition to being able to easily select the color and height of your bollard through the use of a bollard cover, maintenance is greatly reduced.  Annual painting of scratch or rusting bollards becomes thing of the past.  Indeed, corrosion to the steel pipe portion of a bollard is even reduced over the long term due to the protection afforded by plastic bollard covers.

We chose to use Ideal Shield™ Bollard Covers as our cover of choice because of the superior quality of their 1/4" bollard cover.  SlowStop is designed to be a permanent solution to your bollard headaches, and as such we didn't want to provide a cheap bollard cover that might wear too quickly.  The Ideal Shield Bollard Cover is a sturdy, durable design, made of a UV resistant HDPE and molded in a single piece.

Covers are available pre-fitted for our 4" and 6" OD steel rebounding bollards.  Standard covers will raise the height of the SlowStop Bollard kits from 42" to 60" for the 4", and 66" for the 6" bollard.  Of course this can easily be reduced by simply cutting off some of the bottom of the bollard cover, although the domed top will always add several inches to the standard 42" height.

Our covers come in nine standard colors:

• Yellow
• Red
• Blue
• Grey
• White
• Black
• Green
• Orange
• Brown

Custom colors are even possible, however please consider that additional lead time will be needed and minimum quantities may apply.

Covers can be quickly installed by applying the provided special foam tape around the bollard and slipping the cover over the steel pipe.  No other hardware is required, however if you would like to secure the cover to the bollard, one or two self tapping screws added at the bottom of the cover is a simple solution.

A light blue bollard color is also available to add to our handicap parking bollard kit that matches the "handicap blue" color of the standard disabled parking legend.

For more information on our bollard cover or our rebounding steel bollard products, please call 1-800-736-5256.

Originally posted here.

A Better Way to Create Handicap Parking Bollard Signs

Originally posted at slowstop.com

Introduction

Parking lots throughout the nation are required to have adequate parking space for handicapped and disabled drivers by law due to the Americans with Disability Act.  Proper signage must be displayed reserving these spaces.  This often leads to increased cost in designing parking lots as well as significant maintenance due to damaged sign posts.

Background

There are two main types of parking spaces reserved for the disabled.  The first is the "strip mall" type which are parking spaces directly in front of building access.  These are either perpendicular with the bulding or angled in.  Sometimes the handicap placard is mounted to a building column, but more often a simple signpost or bollard signpost embedded in concrete is used.  Sometimes the building curb can act as a car stop to avoid damage to the sign.  The second type is found in an open parking lot, usually closest to the building, but seperated by a travel lane.  Again, a sign post or bollard sign post is used to mount the placard, however a concrete car stop is almost always needed to avoid damage to the sign post.

Problems

When designing facilities needing these signs, the main difficulty with traditional signs is one of cost and coordination.  Bollard signs are more effective than plain signposts, due to increased visibility as well as sturdiness, however their cost is more and they also require either pre-pouring the bollard, or coring the concrete after it has cured to place bollard.


The main problem that owners and facility managers have with these signs is constant damage from bumps and impacts.  Even when a car stop is provided, some vehicles have longer overhangs which can reach the signs and damage them.  Repairs are often costly, requiring the hiring of a parking lot repair company to dig out an old sign and replace with a new.  The addition of car stops where none exist can also be expensive.

A Better Solution

Thanks to the new SlowStop Rebounding Bollard system, a solution has arrived that can solves the issues of high up-front cost and repeated maintenance.  The SlowStop Bollard system is a steel bollard with an energy absorbing elastomer hidden inside.  When impacted, the bollard gives about 20 degrees before locking solid.  This decreases damage to the bollard and sign, to vehicles impacting the bollard, and to the concrete it is attached.  The SlowStop Handicap Parking Bollard Sign system is also very simple to install, requiring only a hammerdrill and an impact wrench to surface mount to concrete.  Once this is done, the bollard is filled with concrete mix to hold the sign pole in place, and installation is complete.

Advantages

This system has several cost advantages.  First off, on a concrete surface, no coring is needed to place the sign.  This eliminates coordination with a concrete contractor as well.  Second, no car stop is needed, as the bollard acts as its own car stop.  The system is flexible, and can accommodate custom sign placards.  It can also be moved easily if needed.

More Durable, Less Expensive

See detailed product information HERE. 

Proper Bollard Spacing

Originally posted at:  www.slowstop.com

We're often asked if we have any recommendations for bollard spacing.  Obviously this is a complicated question, as it depends on numerous factors, such as where the bollards are used, for what purpose, and what is the expected traffic around the bollard.  In this article I won't discuss security rated bollards, because I believe this is a science to itself that requires careful engineering and is not appropriate for a blog post.

The most important consideration for most other application will be whether or not pedestrian traffic is expected in the area, and whether or not the area is a potential emergency exit route.  The Americans with Disabilities Act often conflicts with the desired safety and security needs of the bollard spacing designer.  Spacing of bollards in any area where pedestrians might need to traverse needs to be a minimum of three feet to allow for wheelchair ingress and egress.  Four feet apart is a more common practice to allow extra clearance.  Remember to consider any objects that extend from the bollard, especially with some architectural, removable, and lighted bollards.  The three foot minimum should be between the farthest extensions of the bollard.

When protecting a utility or other object that does not require pedestrian egress, spacing can be much closer if desired.  This usually depends on the expected mass and speed of vehicles travelling in an area when compared to the strength of the bollard.  Here your most important consideration is speed of the vehicle.  Remember that energy is function of mass times speed squared, meaning that as speed increases, energy increases rapidly.  Spacing bollards tighter together, or even connecting them with cross bars, will increase the strength of the barrier.  As a rule of thumb, if the spacing between the bollards is less than twice the impact height on the bollard, strength of the bollards will double when impacted together.

An common application of this principle is the horseshoe or u-bollard, most often seen protecting fuel pumping stations.  A typical automobile vehicle bumper height is in the range of 17"-19".  Given this, in order to double the strength of the bollard, the two vertical elements should be placed roughly 34"-38" apart.  Of course the size of the fuel pumping island will impact whether or not this is feasible.

If automobile traffic is your main consideration, bollard spacing should be no more that five feet apart.  Even the smallest automobiles available will be prevented from entering at this spacing.  If fork lift or other industrial vehicles are the vehicles to be denied access, consider the width of the thinnest vehicle to be stopped and ensure that your bollard spacing is tighter than that vehicles' width.

Loading docks often use bollards to prevent trucks from impacting the building outside of the loading dock bumpers.  Standard US bays have bumper plates that have an outside dimension of  96".  This matches the outside width of most trailers and shipping containers.  Give a 6" gap on either side and space loading dock bollards 9' apart (inside dimension).  One special type of bollard, the rebounding bollard, can often be used to act as a bumper due to the fact that it gives upon impact, slowing the truck into postion.

As a final note, you should also consider the need to allow emergency vehicle access to an area.  If this is required, you may need to have at least on area with a wide spacing, or at a minimum, a removable bollard that can be quickly removed in order to allow for emergency access to an area.

Ideal Applications for Traffic Bollards: Parking Lots

This post is part three of a five part article dealing with types of bollards and their ideal uses.  So far I've discussed typical types of bollards, and ideal applications in traffic denial.  Today I’ll discuss typical parking lot bollards, which also includes traffic denial but is more specific to the parking lot itself.

Introduction

There are many assets within a parking lot that need to be protected from the errant driver.  Though parking lot speeds are assumed to be lower than other applications, driver mistakes such as driving forward instead of reverse (or vice versa), contribute to accidental impacts.  The lack of curbing or faded lane striping also contribute to drivers short cutting corners or avoiding driving lanes altogether.   This presents the need to protect certain areas from vehicles, usually cars and light trucks.

Utility Protection

Often shopping centers or other locations require dedicated fire hydrant, gas meters, electrical panels, or other utilities that are located in or near the parking lot.  For obvious reasons, these utilities need to be protected, usually on all sides, from potential accidental impact.  In the gas of natural gas lines, it is of special importance that the area is well protected by strong bollards because of the potential of fire or explosion from impact.

Overhead Signs

Many businesses have overhead signs mounted to large posts near the street.  These posts as well need to be protected from errant vehicles that could potential cause damage significant enough to topple the structure.  Embedded bollards are used when there is danger of catastrophic damage.  However, less expensive surface mounted or rebounding bollards are also used when the danger is less severe and the purpose is to avoid occasion damage.  This is also done at times with large light posts or electronic information signage.

Corners / Entrance Driveways

Malls, grocery stores, and convenience stores are move a great deal of product, and need delivery trucks to frequently re-store their wares.  These trucks need to make wide turns an often accidentally cut corners which can lead to damage to buildings, landscaping, and driveway surfacing.  Lack of curbing within parking lots also contributes to the propensity for drivers to cut lane corners, leading to more potential damage.  Bollards can be used at these corners to prevent these short cutting drivers from damaging important assets.  These can be embedded in the landscaping areas or on the driving surface at the edge of a turn.

Parking Signs

A unique but common application of the bollard is as a protective device for sign posts.  The Americans with Disabilities Act mandates handicap parking spaces and appropriate signage.  Many companies also create preferred parking spaces, such as “employee of the month”, which need signage to identify the space.  However signs in the middle of a parking lot can take many bumps which eventually bend and break the sign.  A bollard can be used in lieu of or in conjunction with a wheel stop to prevent vehicles from impacting the sign post.  The bollard does this through increased conspicuity and a psychological desire not to impact a more foreboding object by the driver.

Recharging Stations

Becoming more popular is the addition of electric vehicle recharging stations which involves especially expensive equipment that must be protected from damage.  This is a similar application to an air fill station that might be found in a gas station.  A couple well placed bollards in front of the equipment is a smart investment.

Access Prevention

A common use of bollards is to prevent access by vehicle to areas intended only for pedestrians.  This could be a small access alley or a restaurant eating location just off the parking lot.  Whenever pedestrian safety is at risk, it is important to adequately protect them from potential run-away vehicles.  A simple decorative gate is simply not enough.  When aesthetics are especially important, architectural bollards are often used, or in lieu of those, large concrete planters can serve the purpose of a bollard if specifically designed for that purpose.

Ice Shacks / Small Out Buildings

It’s not uncommon to find small out building in a strip-mall.  These are often “ice shacks” or small drive-thru building such as an ATM, mailbox, or DVD rental.  Because these areas are in the middle of travel areas of a parking lot, protection around them is desirable and usually occurs in the form of a “picket fence” of bollards completely surrounding the building.

Parking Garages / Public Parking Lots

Public parking garages nearly always have toll shacks or other revenue equipment that require protection from errant vehicles.  Should the station be manned, it is especially important to use strong protective bollards to guard the area.  One case that is unique, however, is the addition of bollards in post-tensioned concrete structures.  The tendons which keep the concrete in compression are extremely important and cannot be damaged by drilling or coring into the structure.  When adding any of the numerous bollards found in a typical parking structure, care must be taken not to damage the tendons.  As well, the bollard should be designed with a shear point either in the anchors used or in the bollard itself, such that upon impact, the structural concrete is not damaged, which could lead to a catastrophic failure of the building.  For this reason, surface mounted bollards are more often used in post-tensioned concrete applications.

Failed Structural Concrete Building

Conclusion

Bollards are used throughout parking lots for numerous reasons.  It’s not uncommon for new parking lot construction to contain scores of bollards and bollards signs throughout various areas.  Proper design and placement of bollard decrease damage to assets and protect pedestrians.

In the next two parts of this article, we’ll look at the following to areas of interest:

Drive-Thru Lanes

Factories and Warehouses

The Importance of Bollard Signs

Bollard signs have become increasingly prominent sights in both public and private spaces over the past several years.  As cities become more densely packed and the planet grows increasingly urbanized, they will play ever greater roles in public welfare.  This is true for the following reasons:

1. The signage can be prominently displayed, especially when the sign is mounted on top of an existing bollard, such as those found in front of parking spaces.  Such bollards typically rise approximately one meter high, providing a handy perch to mount signs on.  Traffic studies have shown that the addition of less than a meter in signage height makes a significant difference in how quickly motorists perceive public notices.
2. With a removable signage arrangement, signs can be changed at will to meet evolving needs.  This is a simple matter of installing a standard sized metal sleeve in the top of the bollard, as well as a locking mechanism to prevent removal or tampering.
3. Attaching signage to existing pedestrian or traffic bollards protects them from damage by motor vehicles, due to the bollards’ exceptionally sturdy structure.  Low-speed collisions with signs are common in parking areas, due to careless or inattentive drivers.  However, bollards both discourage such accidents (due to their high degree of prominence) and mitigate their effects on important notices when they do occur.
4. Bollards also enhance signage prominence by the fact that they are traditionally painted high-profile colors, such as bright orange and yellow.  This is especially significant in today’s urban environment, where drivers are subjected to ever-increasing competition for their attention from both public and private notices.

Urban planners and safety engineers will face ever-greater challenges in the years to come, as the world’s growing population increasingly flocks to large cities in pursuit of economic opportunities.  Bollard signs have an important role to play in ensuring public safety in these tightly packed environments, and their use should be greatly encouraged.

Find out more about our bollards at www.slowstop.com.

How Bollard Signs Help Your Patrons

The world is changing rapidly around us.  Studies show that societies around the globe are becoming increasingly urbanized.  The mass exodus from rural locations is having significant economic and social effects, which are of importance to owners and managers of private properties as well as public spaces.  In this new environment, bollard signs can be especially helpful to your business patrons.  This is so for the following reasons:

1. Bollard signs are more conspicuous than other common forms of signage.  This is due to the visual prominence of bollards themselves, as well as the enhanced height they give to notices mounted on top of them.  This fact alone will help patrons identify a particular location, especially when visiting it for the first time. 
2. Bollards are usually sturdy structures, designed to resist impacts from misguided motor vehicles.  This fact helps to ensure that patrons will always be able to see any notices placed on them. 
3. Bollard signs can be easily switched to match changing needs.  For example, if a location undergoes exterior renovations to adopt a particular theme, the exterior signage can be changed to match the new motif.  This benefits both business owners and patrons by giving locations a more unified, aesthetically pleasing appearance.
4. When strategically placed, bollard signs not only inform the public but also play an important role in ensuring patrons’ access to dedicated facilities.  This is especially true in parking areas, where they can serve as physical barriers to motorists who would otherwise park their vehicles too close together to allow entrance for customers. In the case of residential properties, using bollard signs in this way can guarantee availability to all residents, while ensuring that owners remain in compliance with accessibility statutes.

For these reasons and more, those in charge of private businesses should consider the advantages of bollard signs for their patrons.

Find out more about our bollards at www.slowstop.com.