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. 

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

Bollard Types and Ideal Applications

This post will be part of a five part article which describes traffic bollards types and their typical uses.  In this post, I’ll discuss bollard types and introduce the four main uses for traffic bollards.

Traffic bollards come in four main types:

1. Embedded Bollards
2. Surface Mounted Bollards
3. Rebounding Bollards
4. Retractable / Removable Bollards

Each type is specifically designed for its purpose and has its own benefits and limitations.  Within those groups, there are sub-groups which I will discuss as well.  Also, bollards that fit in those categories can also fall into other sub-categories less dependent on function and more on aesthetics.  Architectural Bollards might be any of the above, but are also designed to also include pleasant or unique shapes.  A Lighted Bollard is simply a bollard with a light source built in either to add conspicuity to the bollard or to light the surrounding area.

Embedded Bollards

 

Embedded Bollards are simply bollards which are embedded deep into the ground.  This is usually for added

strength and security.  Embedded bollards can be made out of any common bollard material, be it steel, concrete or even wood, however the bollard will only be as strong as the foundation in which it is buried.

A steel post filled with concrete and buried very deep within a reinforced concrete foundation will be strong indeed.  On the contrary, a wooden post buried in soft sand or dirt will not provide as much protection.

Costs for this type of bollard can be significant when coring out existing concrete or asphalt surfaces.   It also potentially weakens the foundation, and therefore may not even be appropriate in an application such as a structural concrete parking deck.  On the other hand, when placing a bollard in an unpaved area, this is perhaps the least expensive and simplest approach.

Surface Mounted Bollards

This type of bollard uses some sort of anchor system, usually mechanical, to mount the bollard to the surface.  Although this is an inexpensive method of installation, it also is not a very secure method.  Upon impact, the anchors are often the weakest link and quickly give way, leaving a tilted bollard and damaged foundation.  However, when the purpose of the bollard is more to provide a mere presence or psychological barrier, this type of installation is most cost effective.  It also may be necessary to use shear bolts in a post-tensioned concrete structure in order to prevent impact to the bollard to potentially compromise the building.

The next type of bollard, the rebounding bollard, is often surface mounted, but overcomes the strength and damage issues associated with standard surface mounted bollards.

Rebounding Bollards

A relative newcomer to the bollard field, rebounding bollards use energy absorption technology to provide

the strength of some embedded bollards, with the low installation costs and flexibility of surface mounted bollards.  When a rebounding bollard is impacted, it is allowed to tilt as some mechanism, be it an elastomer or spring system, more slowly absorbs and dissipates the energy of the vehicle.  The bollard then ideally returns to its original position undamaged and fully functional.  Some barriers use advanced polymers which do not yield like metal or concrete might under extreme load.

A further advantage of this type of system is that damage to vehicles, passengers and loads is reduced due to the more gradual absorption of impact energy.  Imagine crashing a vehicle into a large concrete bollard.  Since there is almost no give, it is much like hitting the proverbial brick wall; all energy is immediately felt by the vehicle and its passengers.  With a flexible bollard system, that energy might be dispersed over several hundred milliseconds.  While that doesn't sound like much, it makes a great deal of difference to the peak forces felt.

Some bollards in this type are actually not intended to provide traffic denial capabilities at all.  As such, they are used mainly as sign markers and psychological barriers.  These are extremely prevalent in the United Kingdom.

Retractable / Removable Bollards

Not all applications for bollards are intended to be permanent or always prevent access.  As such, retractable and removable bollards have been designed to allow the owner or a potential traveler access the area normally denied by the bollard.

From Wikipedia.org

This is typically done in one of several ways.  The lowest technology is the pipe-in-a-tube method where a socket is created in the ground.  The bollard can then be removed from the socket when access is to be granted.  This is inexpensive, but requires manual intervention to access the area.

A second way is through the use of pivoting bollards.  A locking pin is used to hold the bollard upright under normal circumstances, and removed to allow the bollard to lay flat when a vehicle is to pass over it.   These bollards are generally flat in shape to allow for vehicle clearance.  Often, the pin is locked in place with a padlock to prevent unauthorized access.

Finally, the most expensive method is the automatic retractable bollard.  Usually hydraulic powered, the bollard actually retracts straight down into the ground and becomes flush with the surface during access.  Actuation of a hydraulic bollard can be by any number of methods, from security guard push button to remote controls and toll booth pay systems.

Uses of Bollards

In the next four parts of this article, I’ll discuss ideal uses for bollards for each of the following areas of concern:

1. Traffic Denial
2. Parking Lot Protection
3. Drive-Thru Lanes
4. Factories and Warehouses

Certain types of bollards I discussed today are more or less appropriate for each application, depending on the required function.  I’ll discuss that in detail for each type.

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.

Flexible Delineators or Safety Bollards: When to Use Each

Flexible delineators are often mistaken for bollards due to their similar appearance.  The intended functions of both devices are distinct from each other, however.  This article will clarify the ways in which the two differ.

The Purpose of Bollards
Bollards convey a simple message: “don’t go here!”  They are intended to provide obstructions to either foot or vehicular travel.  In some cases, they take the form of massive structures made of steel or concrete.  In other cases, they are made of highly flexible materials and are meant to “bend rather than break” if struck by motor vehicles.  Regardless of their construction, however, their purpose is to discourage or prevent unauthorized or undesired access to certain areas.

The Purpose of Delineators
Delineators are used not so much to obstruct traffic as to guide it.  The non-verbal message they’re intended to convey is: “please go this way.”  Like bollards, they’re often highly reflective and easily visible at night.  They also alert motorists to changing road conditions due to the presence of structures such as guardrails.  A common use for them is to alert a motorist of a guardrail in place alongside a curving road.  Delineators are often installed atop the rail to make it more visible to passing autos.

Flexible delineators rise vertically from the road surface.  This affords them a higher degree of visibility compared to traditional channelizers, which are typically level with the road.  They’re especially useful in areas where side-swipe types of accidents are likely to occur, such as when traffic is merging from one road onto another.  They guide vehicles from moving leftward too quickly as they enter the stream of traffic.  Their flexibility keeps them from becoming or causing damage even if they’re struck.

Both bollards and delineators serve similarly important functions.  Knowing when each should be used is important for maintaining public safety, both on the streets and off.