Thursday, March 8, 2018

Using Wheel Stops in Parking Lots

A good exercise employed by many top designers is to place themselves in the position of the person they are designing for. The shopping experience has changed a great deal over the last few decades, and the parking lot is where everything begins. A parking lot will give the customer their first impression, and it’s vital to make sure that they have a great experience. Some key considerations are efficiency, safety and branding, and how they are used for car parking and to promote your business. Let’s examine this in greater detail and look at how wheel stops have a vital part to play in this experience.

Ugly Car Parks
Many parking structures are in a poor state of repair and are not maintained regularly. This can be caused by a variety of factors, and the weather plays a major part. If you recall parking on a car park like this, it’s likely that you had a very poor initial reaction. Most retailers spend most if not all of their remodelling budgets inside the store or on the frontage. This will enhance the shopping experience inside, but a poor quality parking experience will drive some customers away. A poor car park may even develop a reputation for a bad safety record that will send potential customers to a rival retailer.

Start with a Plan

The first requirement for upgrading and improving a parking experience is to create a plan. Think of the car park as an entry hall into your home; it needs to be welcoming, safe and comfortable to put people at ease. A well organised parking area will have sufficient corrals for shopping trolleys that will be collected regularly. Each parking space will have wheel stops to protect pedestrian walkways from car accidents when starting and parking. Visibility and safety can be improved with other measures, such as signs, road markings, and mirrors for tighter turning areas.

Safety is Key

A poor quality car park is a location that can be a safety nightmare for pedestrians and drivers alike. The shopping experience is often a draw for families with smaller children that cannot be seen in a rear view mirror. Even low speed collisions can be extremely dangerous for small children and traffic calming measures are essential. Any measure adopted for safety should be visible in low light conditions, and solar powered lighting can help increase visibility at night. Removable bollards can be used to open up and close off areas as required.

If they are looking for wheel stops, Perth property managers should contact us here at Image Bollards. We can supply and install a wide selection of high quality safety and security equipment including rubber wheel stops. All of our product range is manufactured to high standards and are fully compliant with Australian regulations. Our team members are standing by to discuss your project in more detail, and they will be happy to answer any remaining queries that you may have.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

How to Choose Wheel Chocks for Your Site

Any business manager or site manager that has heavier vehicles or trailers on their property needs to consider using wheel chocks. These are crucial for preventing vehicle roll overs at designated stopping points and can be used for inclined parking. These kinds of stops can be made in a variety of different materials and choosing the chock that’s right for your needs can be confusing. Here are a few tips to help you in choosing the right kind of wheel chock to meet the needs of your site and business.
Wheel Chock Construction:
Some sites use steel Wheel chocks to ensure that larger vehicles both stop and have a secure obstacle to rest against. This is a perfectly respectable choice, but in recent years it has fallen out of favour for a few crucial reasons. Firstly, steel truck wheel chocks can cause damage to the wheel if the impact is too severe and on larger vehicles, this could be expensive. Secondly, steel chocks will become damage over time and could start to corrode, which would necessitate a replacement. Lastly, steel is an expensive material, and a steel chock can be expensive to install. The most popular choice these day is a far more friendly alternative, recycled rubber.
Recycled Rubber Chocks:
The use of recycled rubber in all kinds of road related products, such as wheel ramps, truck chocks, and kerb ramps, has become popular for a number of good reasons. Firstly, recycled rubber is a green product that is a good choice for the environmentally conscious business owner. Secondly, recycled rubber is kinder on tyres and wheels of all kinds of vehicles. Less than ideal impacts may give the driver a bit of a bounce to remind them to take care, but the vehicle will not be damaged. Finally, recycled rubber doesn’t chip, corrode or warp in the sun, and rubber wheel chocks are cheaper to buy and simple to install.
Situating Wheel Chocks:
Professional safety experts, recommend getting a wheel chock that is a quarter of the height of the tyre using it. It’s usually a good idea on areas that are accommodating larger vehicles to install more than one chock. This is especially true if the chock will be used to provide parking stability on an incline, in this case, one wheel chock per tyre is recommended. If you’re in any doubt about how to plan for a wheel chock installation, get in touch with a professional, and they will be able to offer valuable input.

If you’re in the market for truck wheel chocks for your site, contact us here at Image Bollards. We can supply and install a diverse selection of security and safety equipment, including rubber wheel chocks. All of our product range is manufactured to extremely high tolerances and in full compliance with Australian rules and regulations. Our sales team is looking forward to discussing your needs in greater detail and answering any remaining questions you have.

Should Your Bollards be Made from Stainless Steel - Perth Site Manager Questions Answered

There are many different types of bollards available today, and it’s easy for a busy business owner or site manager to become confused. One of the best options that has really become popular in recent years is the removable stainless steel bollard. This kind of bollard has a number of advantages and is extremely flexible to use. Let’s take a closer look at some of these advantages so that you can make an informed decision on whether they are a good fit for your location.
Stainless Steel:
The construction material used in any kind of bollard largely determines its suitability in its given role. As an example: a plastic bollard would be a poor choice to protect a pedestrian area in a busy warehouse loading bay area. The beauty of stainless steel is that it is extremely tough, but it is also corrosion resistant and very attractive to look at. This makes the Stainless steel bollard a fantastic choice to increase safety and security without spoiling the aesthetics of your site. When you run a site where looks are extremely important, it’s a great advantage to have a bollard that can perform as required and look great at the same time.
Removable Bollards:
The removable bollard is a very flexible solution for your site for both safety and security. Access to certain areas for vehicular traffic can be granted or denied as required. This can be handy for special events, to meet demands at certain times of the day or even in emergency situations. Spaces can be contracted or expanded as required and security is improved. These kinds of bollards are locked in place when deployed, to ensure that only those authorised to move them can do so. A removable bollard can also have reflective surfaces, making them a great solution for sites that have access at night or in low light conditions.
Stainless Steel Bollards in Use:
There are some great advantages to using Stainless steel removable bollards on a day to day basis. Firstly, because of their stainless steel manufacture, they are resistant to corrosion and extreme weather conditions. They are quite easy to install and may be cheaper to install than permanent bollards. Finally, they add a stylish modern look to your site, which makes them a popular choice for site managers concerned with appearances.

If you’re interested in using a stainless steel bollard product on your site, contact us. At Image Bollards, we supply, and we can install a wide selection of safety and security products, we even sell stainless steel bins. All of our range is manufactured to high standards and is fully compliant with Australian standards. Our sales team is standing by to discuss your needs in detail, and they will be happy to address any remaining questions you may have.

Everything You Need to Know About Dugite Bollards

If you’re a safety focused property owner or site manager, you may already have heard about dugite bollards. Dugite is a brand name for a tough galvanised steel that is used in our security bollards. This bollard is ideal for boosting security in areas that could be prone to ram raiding and for preventing damage to your property. These bollards are permanently situated, available in a variety of sizes and fitted with a reflective band. Let’s take a closer look at the care and maintenance of this security bollard.
Washing Dugite Bollards:
We all like our commercial sites to look as presentable as possible to attract clients and customers. Despite being a security product, dugite bollards look business like and tidy, but like any exterior feature, they can get dirty. As a galvanized steel product they need to be cleaned without using abrasives. If an abrasive cleaning product or rough scrubbing pad is used to clean them, the protective patina coating will be damaged and degraded in effectiveness. This patina is a zinc anti corrosion surface, and its removal could make the steel more susceptible to corrosion and rust. When cleaning these kinds of bollards, use a soft cloth or sponge and an alkaline based cleaner with a pH level of 12 or lower. Afterward, rinse with clean water and the bollards will look as good as new.
Corrosive Environments:
It’s not recommended that you use galvanised products in an area that is very corrosive. This could be any area where the pH level would be below 6 and above 12. When the atmosphere or splashed liquids are too alkaline or acidic, galvanized surfaces can be damaged. If the dugite bollards have been exposed to this kind of material they need to be washed down with potable water to remove the corrosive material. This is especially important if the exposure has taken place indoors, where the is no chance of rainwater washing the material away and the exposure levels will be more concentrated.
Repairing Galvanized Surfaces:
When a product is galvanized, it has extra protection from the elements to resist corrosion. However, if the surface is damaged the protection will be compromised at the site where the impact occurred. In order, to retain the corrosion protection, the damaged area will need to be repaired. The repair should be conducted in accordance with AS/NZS 4680, or if the damage is too extensive to repair, the bollard should be replaced.

If you’re in the market for Dugite security bollards and car park stoppers, contact us. Here at Image Bollards we supply and even in install if required, a wide selection of safety and security equipment. All of our product range is manufactured to high standards and are fully compliant with Australian standards. Our sales team is standing by to discuss your needs in more detail and to answer any questions you may have.

Some Useful Applications for Traffic Cones

As a busy business owner, site manager or safety professional, you may already be using traffic cones as part of a safety strategy. They are a fantastic way to manage and redirect traffic in a safe manner. Their portability, ease of storage and quick deployment make them a great addition for any safety conscious area management. However, the humble road cone can also be used to great effect in other areas of concern. Let’s take a closer look at some lesser known ways to use cones on your site or property.
Educational Facilities:
A school or college is a location where a flexible high visibility traffic cone could be very useful. When temporary events, such as sports days, parents evenings, career fairs and graduation days, are held additional areas will need to be managed. In this case, traffic cones could be used to mark out temporary parking areas, access points and create additional vehicle free zones. The flexibility of cones is a great boon here, as they can be deployed quickly and stored away again after the event has ended. This ensures that things can get back to normal after the event easily.
Working Areas:
When people are working in areas that are normally subjected to high pedestrian or vehicular traffic, there are problems. A worker cannot concentrate on the task at hand if they have to worry about people being injured or being injured themselves. This could be road related work, such as line painting, verge maintenance, and repair lighting. It could also be indoor work, such as deep cleaning, stock taking, and maintenance in a commercial location. When an area needs to be shut off from regular foot and vehicular traffic a cone can help.
Car Parks:
We’ve already touched on this, but traffic cones are a really useful addition to a car park. They can be used to shut down part of a car park for maintenance or because it is full. A road cone is made of plastic and rubber, so it won’t cause damage to car doors or hurt pedestrians. They are highly visible, so they work well at night or in low light conditions, such as underground parking structures. They don’t corrode, chip or crumble and this makes them a low maintenance safety solution.

At Image Bollards, we supply and even install a wide selection of safety and security equipment. We have high visibility traffic cones available for sale, including heavy duty traffic cones with a 6kg rubber base. All of our product range is manufactured to high standards and are fully compliant with all Australian standards. Our sales team is standing by to discuss your needs in greater detail and to answer any other questions you may have.

Monday, May 29, 2017

3 Reason to Use Automated Access Gates

When you own or run a small business, it can be easier to know who is on your site and where they are. However, as your company grows into a larger entity, it can be a lot harder to keep track of access. Larger numbers of employees and visitors inevitably can lead to confusion and an opportunity for undesirable elements. Restricting access at this point is the first line of defence in beefing up security and having a better idea of who is actually on your premises. A common solution seen at many sites are manual or more commonly automated access gates. Australia based businesses have taken to using automated gates in large numbers and here are three good reasons why you may consider joining them.

1. Increasing Safety and Security:

As we have already mentioned, this is probably the single greatest reason to install an access gate. It defines an access point, and it’s a declaration of intent that says “this area is for authorised people only” and that is a powerful statement. A criminal is far less likely to wander onto a site that has fences and/or access gates. The geared motors on an automatic access gate are very difficult to damage and hard to force open.

2. An Added Convenience:

The employees at your site want to know that their cars are safe whilst they are working. Visitors also like to feel safe and increased security lets them know that they are dealing with a professional business. However, this goodwill can be undone if the access gate is a pain to use and causes unnecessary delays. This is typically the case with manual Access Gates that need a person to operate them. A manual gate may be a good option in a high security setting or government installation where identification is scrutinised, but for most businesses that would be overkill. A better option is an automatic access gate that can be easily used by authorised personnel and overridden remotely for visitors.

3. Increased Durability:

Automated access gates are usually made from aluminium or stainless steel. They are strong and extremely resistant to environmental damage and corrosion. The gearing is well protected from criminals, and this also protects the internal components from the elements. Automated access gates don’t break down very often, they last a long time, and they represent an excellent investment in the future security of your business.


If they are looking for manual or automated access gates, Perth based business owners and site managers should contact us. Here at Image Bollards we supply and can install a wide selection of high quality security and safety equipment. All of our products are manufactured to be compliant with Australian rules and legislation. Our sales team is standing by to discuss your needs in detail and to answer any other questions you may have.