Bollards & Post Covers

Bumper Posts to Protect Cars?

A black vehicle running over a polyurethane bendable post

Highly visible and durable bollards and covers offer ultimate protection and aesthetics

A black vehicle running over a polyurethane bendable post
R-8303 bendable bollards can withstand vehicle collisions without losing shape or form.

That’s right, flexible bollards that do not damage vehicles, but rather protect them. Contrary to typical tough steel bollards which may cause damage to anything or anyone upon impact, as well as to the bollards themselves, these tough bendable posts are made from rugged polyurethane materials. These bollards are designed to minimize vehicle damage caused by accidents, while clearly marking traffic guidelines as strong visual indicators.

Polyurethane versus polyethylene

The two materials are widely used for a range of applications but have some key differences in chemical composition and usage.

While polyurethane, made from thermoset resin, is commonly used in the composition of mattresses, furniture padding, and clothing, it is also used in manufacturing tough bumper posts. The highly durable material is designed to withstand any type of physical harm by bending without losing shape, ripping off, or cracking. Vehicles of any kind or weight can run it over, bending it up to 90 degrees, without causing damage to the post or the vehicle. Polyurethane’s high abrasion, cut, and tear resistance make it the ideal choice for flexible bollards.

Polyethylene on the other hand, is more widely used as a source of plastic. This polymer is made from thermoplastic resin and has the simplest chemical structure. Polyethylene materials enable it to be recycled, melted, and reformed physically. When it comes to strength, however, polyurethane is 25 times the resilience of a traditional polyethylene channelizer.

A row of Reliance Foundry bendable bollards installed by an entrance
R-8303 flexible bollards can be used in heavy traffic areas to minimize damage in case of collision.

What are polyurethane flexible bollards?

Polyurethane flexible posts are traffic posts or bumpers made from flexible polyurethane. They are useful for settings such as protected bike lanes, parking stalls, drive-through windows, tight corners, narrow driveways, and more. They are used in high-traffic areas and tight situations, where avoidance is difficult and physical contact is inevitable. These rugged posts offer high visibility and durable protection. They are meant to protect vehicles, individuals, and the bollards themselves. Protection is provided by their flexibility and durability, as they will pop right back up upon physical contact, without any visible or mechanical damage.

These flexible bollards can visibly stand out, available in six colors, and can be additionally enhanced with optional reflective taping at the top. Polyurethane posts can be colored throughout, thus minimizing risk of color loss upon contact. These posts come with UV protection to reduce fading in sunlight.

A row of bollards fitted with Reliance Foundry’s plastic post covers
R-7110 plastic post sleeves protect steel pipe bollards from corrosion and wear.

What are plastic bollard sleeves?

Made from low- and high-density polyethylene, plastic bollard covers are used as decorative sleeves to protect steel pipe bollards. Like polyurethane posts, these covers prevent color loss from scraping. They also protect steel bollards from corrosion. By covering steel posts with these covers, you eliminate the need for maintenance work like sanding and painting to remove rust spots or scratches from the bollards. The vibrant colors and reflective tape options increase visibility of steel bollards for individuals, vehicles, and bicycles, and help prevent accidents from happening.

A black sedan colliding into a bumper post in a parking lot
R-8302 bumper posts are made to absorb collision impact with minimal damage.

Bumper post applications

Traffic Management

Collisions are prone to happen in high-traffic areas. Steel or concrete posts are placed to stop vehicles in their tracks and protect people and property. While these posts get the job done, they cause damage to vehicles. Often, these posts will require repainting as the impact with the vehicle will cause color loss, on both the vehicle and the bollard.

Enter plastic bollard covers. These striking sleeves can be easily slipped over existing posts. Say goodbye to continuous maintenance of steel posts, with regards to paint rust, chipping, peeling, or cracking. Plastic bollard sleeves protect steel posts against corrosion. Both HDPE and LDPE covers are designed to last for years with minimal upkeep, saving money that would go to repairs and replacements. These covers make security posts highly visible and help guide drivers and cyclists in the best way possible. High-traffic spaces such as public roads, highways, industrial, and commercial areas can all benefit from having these highly visible and durable plastic covers in place.

Reliance Foundry’s bendable bollards installed along a bike lane
R-8302 bendable posts provide excellent protection for bike lanes, while adding visual appeal.

Protected bike lanes

Flexible bollards are especially a great solution for marking and separating bike lanes. While making an impact with these posts will not cause damage to vehicles or the posts themselves, they are an effective way to clearly indicate bike lanes and guide and steer vehicles away from them.

The bollards’ durability allows them to be bent and run over multiple times for emergency access, if need be. Tough polyurethane construction can withstand complete 90-degree flexion up to 50 impacts, and 45-degree flexion up to 500 impacts. Bendable bollards’ longevity and durability allows for scratches, scrapes, or dents with minimal visual evidence, and are protected from sunlight with UV protection.

A black car maneuvering through an underground parking lot
Plastic post covers can help guide drivers visually and protect vehicles physically in case of collision.

Parking

It can be challenging for some drivers trying to navigate around parking lots. It can be especially difficult getting around in underground parkades, where parking stalls are often very small, forcing you to maneuver around tight corners to avoid hitting concrete pillars, other vehicles, or the walls at the end of the stall.

Bendable bollards provide an excellent solution in these circumstances. Visually striking and safe to bump into, it’s safe to say that they would save people a lot of money that would go to vehicle repairs or insurance claims.

Narrow vehicle lanes

It is a common misconception that bumper posts are only useful in heavy traffic areas. You probably don’t think of it much but daily you are bound to encounter many types of narrow driving lanes. These vehicle lanes can consist of narrow downtown streets, drive-throughs at fast food places, border crossing lanes, small driveways, and curbside pick-up or drop-off spaces in front of retail stores, just to name a few.

Scraping or bumping into objects are bound to happen when maneuvering tight corners in these circumstances, regardless of your superior driving abilities. A combination of flexible bollards and plastic bollard covers can be used to ensure maximum protection for all parties. Bendable posts can be placed in between or on the outside of these lanes, ensuring no damage occurs when swerving out of the lane and bumping into them. While, plastic bollard sleeves can protect you and your vehicle, as well as other people and property, when placed by drive-through windows or border crossing offices. Plastic sleeves can add to site aesthetics with their vibrant colors, while providing durability and protecting security posts.