Plastic Bollard Covers Improve Site Safety

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You've installed steel pipe bollards on your property, perhaps to set off a pedestrian area or to keep vehicles away from your building. Unfortunately, pipe bollards don't look good on their own, and without additional surface protection, are highly susceptible to rust. If regular painting sounds like an unwanted chore, plastic bollard covers are likely your next step.

Plastic bollard covers identify onsite hazards and guide drivers through sensitive areas, which may include:

• Pedestrian areas
• Drive-throughs
• Toll booths
• Bike lanes
• Building perimeters
• Traffic junctions

Security bollards are also ideal for storefront entrances and large windows—which can be targets for smash-and-grab robberies (where robbers drive vehicles into buildings to gain access). Read more about the importance of installing protective steel pipe bollards.

Storefront areas are a first point of contact for customers, so it's important to ensure entryway bollards look their best. Taken further, bollards can reinforce surrounding site designs and company branding.

Psychology of color

Covers are available in a range of colors

Color can influence customers by priming them for their in-store experiences. But, it's not always as simple as "green makes people buy" or "orange makes people hungry." Color associations are highly subjective and can evoke different moods and emotions for different people—or even the same person—in different contexts. Where most experts agree, however, is that color can play a large role in establishing a brand identity, especially when it makes a company more recognizable. Color can help differentiate from competitors or make a storefront stand out in a neighborhood or streetscape.

Driver awareness and safety

Bollards protect sensitive vehicle areas

On the road, in city centers or in parking lots, drivers are easily distracted. The results are alarming. According to a 2014 report published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2012:

• Distracted drivers were responsible for killing over 3,300 people and injuring over 421,000 more.
• Distractions caused 10 percent of fatal crashes, 18 percent of injury crashes and 16 percent of all motor vehicle collisions.
• Distraction-related crashes killed 540 non-occupants—people not even in vehicles.

You might think parking lots are safe areas, but in fact, they can be quite hazardous. Although speeds may be slower than on busy streets, cars move more erratically—backing up, changing speeds and switching directions suddenly.

Parking lot entrances and drive-throughs can be especially distracting environments. Drivers may be thinking about what to order at the take-out window, how much money to withdraw from the ATM, how to pay their parking fees, where they're supposed to pick up a friend, or what they might need at the store.

Here are some sobering figures:

• 15 to 30 percent of severe injuries occur in parking lots.
• About 20 percent of all vehicle accidents occur in parking lots.
• 19 percent, almost one in five, of all pedestrian-related parking lot accidents result in incapacitating injuries.

When it comes to increasing site safety in and around vehicle areas, clear visual indicators are a must. Steel pipe bollards provide the physical barriers needed to keep vehicles from entering safe zones, and plastic covers make them more visible—helping keep vehicles at a distance. Read more about how to improve parking lot safety.

Protect steel pipe bollards

Color matching suites the surrounding environment

Without protection, steel pipe bollards can be highly susceptible to corrosion. Painting is an option, but constant exposure to the elements and other site factors will cause paint to chip, crack or fade.

Plastic bollard covers are made of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and are designed to completely cover the above-ground portion of steel pipe bollards. They maintain their visual quality far longer than painted steel—and may be an easy fix for improving the appearance of neglected bollards.

Durable plastic bollard covers are available in a variety of sizes to cover almost any traffic, security or parking bollard. The best plastic bollard covers

• Add years to the life of your bollards
• Withstand extreme temperatures
• Resist fading due to sun and weather
• Are resistant to solvents found in many sidewalk deicers
• Eliminate the need for regular painting
• Wash easily with fresh water or mild soapy water

Easy to install

Foam compression strips keep bollards secure

Plastic bollard covers can be installed in a matter of minutes. They slide over new or existing posts with minimal additional hardware. Reliance Foundry plastic covers ship with foam compression strips to keep them firmly in place.

See Reliance Foundry’s directions on how to properly install plastic bollard covers.

Plastic bollard covers: The fit and shape that’s right for you

Whether your site features industry-oriented or more-elaborate site design, Reliance Foundry offers a range of plastic bollard covers to suit. We keep more than 15 models in stock, available for immediate shipment—typically within 24 hours.

What you want to know about shape and size:

• Covers are available in both round and square shapes.
• They are available in a wide range of sizes, up to 72 inches in height and 11-5/8 inches in diameter.
• Covers should be cut at least 1 to 3 inches taller than the bollards they cover.
• To increase bollard visibility, covers may stand several inches higher than their integral post—which can save money on pipe bollard materials.
• Covers can be cut to fit sloped grades.
• Upon request, plastic bollard covers can be trimmed to custom specifications prior to shipping.

Sources:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Distracted Driving." Centers for Disease Control website.
• Ciotti, Gregory. "The Psychology of Color in Marketing and Branding." Help Scout website. 2013.
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Traffic Safety Facts: Research Note." U.S. Department of Transportation. 2014.
• Stark, John A. "Parking Lots: Where Motorists Become Pedestrians." University of Albany. 2012.