Enhance Safety & Aesthetics with Durable Plastic Bollard Covers

Safety pole covers enhance protection and raise driver awareness

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. Plastic bollard covers are a low maintenance alternative to regular painting and manual upkeep of these steel traffic poles.

Plastic bollard guards 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

Color can influence customers by priming them for 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

On the road, in city centers or in parking lots, drivers are easily distracted. The results are alarming. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2015:

• Distracted drivers were responsible for killing 3,450 people and injuring over 391,000 more.
• In 2016, distractions caused 6 percent of fatal crashes.
• In the same report it’s shown distraction-related crashes killed 562 non-occupants—people not even in vehicles—making distracted driving responsible for 16% of total non-occupant deaths.

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. Parking lot bollards are one way to positively influence parking lot safety.

Protect steel pipe bollards

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

Plastic bollard covers can be installed in a matter of minutes. They slide over new or existing posts with minimal additional hardware. Foam compression strips are all that are needed to properly install new bollard covers to existing posts.

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

Whether your site is industry-oriented or has a more elaborate site design, plastic bollard guards can be chosen to meet your color and shape requirements.

Shape and size considerations:

• 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.

For value, ease of installation, and flexibility in design, plastic bollard guards are an excellent choice to protect steel-and-pipe security bollards. A range of color and reflective tape options add to the security provided by making the bollards more obvious to the drivers they guide. Whether for new installations or existing pipe, plastic covers can provide an aesthetic lift and enhance brand identification while protecting against corrosion and weather damage.