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.