Bollards 2

[ajk1]

I recently came across a case of 4 bollards placed around a light standard in a parking lot, where a car had driven too close to one of the bollards and the bollard became embedded behind the fender. This happened because the fender flexed when the car brushed against it, allowing the bollard to become trapped behind the fender (just in front of the front wheel) and not allowing the car then to move forward or backward. The bollards were short and glavanized (silver in colour). The incident happened at night. Thousands of dollars damage was done (to the vehicle's wheel mechanism, and the body too of course).

The original architectural design of the protection to the lamp standard when the bulding was built in the 1960's was with wood posts and horizontal wood bumpers spanning between the posts, at the top of the posts. This seems like a much better design than what was done by a contractor in a repaving project about 10 years ago, and would have prevented the recent incident.

I have searched the provincial building code and it does not turn up the word "bollard". None of the references to "guards" are for a bollard type of guard.

Question:

Is there any guide to good bollard design anywhere?

- If the bollard had been higher, it would not have been able to get behind the fender; it would have caused body damage but not the extensive mechanical damage that it did to the wheel linkage etc.

- If it has been painted yellow, it would have been more visible.

- If it had horizontal wood bumpers between the bollards at their top (like the original design by an architect), the bollard could not have become embedded behind the fender.

 

[FEM4Structures]

Point of impact shall be top of bollard for design purposes. Higher the bollard than is recommended by code, more is the moment value.

Thanks,

FEM4Structures

 

[ajk1]

I have gone back and measured the bollard height in question and made some other measurements, and note the following:

1. The height from asphalt paving to bottom edge of driver's side window in a 2008 Toyota Camry measures about 39";
2. The top of the bollard in question is only 29" above grade which puts it 10" below the bottom edge of the side window when there is no snow on the ground (even farther below when the car is riding on top of a snow layer). Therefore this bollard cannot be seen when the car is close beside the bollard.
3. The silver colour of the bollard makes it blend in nicely with the snow, and makes it less apparent to the driver; I suppose someone thought that the bollards were ugly, so they made them silver so that they did not stand out;
4. Probably the minmium height of the bollard should be 48 inches; 5 feet would be better.
5. I notice that the local hardware store sells long poles with red lens at the top that can be fastened to fixed obstructions to make them easier to see. Interesting.

 

[ztengguy]

take the bollards out and put a base like this. It works, you know its there.

Still does the damage though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UISfUybSNM

 

[a2mfk]

ZTENG- AWESOME! Good reason to make your light pole foundations that tall. If I was the engineer of that foundation I would be so proud to see that video. Friggin idiots...

Back when I was doing a lot more retail work, there was not that much thought put into bollard details. They were generic boiler plate details on civil engineering or architectural drawings, nobody knew where they came from, it was a mystery .

Other than the jackaces in the beamer in that video, your every day bollard I believe would be designed with just enough integrity to protect the light pole, dumpster, or whatever against a vehicle moving slowly in a parking movement, not going 30mph. Then you will need something more robust with real engineering design.

I would vote for 36" plus above ground, and in snowy areas they can have a long reflective rod or something similar for the snowplows and other cars to see.