GB2203780A

GB2203780A - Road bollard

Info

Publication number: GB2203780A
Application number: GB08805884A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter John Leigh
Original assignee: PEARCE GROUP HOLDINGS Ltd
Current assignee: PEARCE GROUP HOLDINGS Ltd
Priority date: 1987-03-11
Filing date: 1988-03-11
Publication date: 1988-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 2008-03-11
Also published as: GB2203780B; GB8805884D0; GB8705685D0

Abstract

A bollard comprises a base mount (2) secured to rag bolts set in the concrete foundation of a road island. A tubular guard member (4) of sheet metal with window openings (4B, 4C and 4D) is secured to the base mount (2) with easily shearable fastenings. A sheath (6) of translucent plastics material envelops the guard member. Areas of the sheath 6 which are aligned with the openings (4B, 4C and 4D) in the guard member (4) are coloured and/or provided with traffic signs or symbols. <IMAGE>

Description

STREET FURNITURE The present invention relates to street furniture such as for example traffic bollards.

Traffic bollards are positioned on traffic islands in the roadway to warn motorists of the existance of the islands so that the motorist can manoever his vehicle to avoid such islands. Such bollards may be about one metre in height and are usually illuminated at least at night.

A previously proposed form of bollard comprises an elongate housing of rectangular crosssection. The housing is of sheet metal and is provided with various openings which accommodate translucent panels or windows of plastics or glass.

Accommodated within the housing is a fluorescent lighting unit positioned to enable light to be emitted from the various panels or windows.

Not only is it time consuming and expensive to fit individual panels into the openings but the durability and weathering of this type of bollard is poor.

Another previously proposed form of bollard comprises an elongate one-piece plastics casing of rectangular cross-section. The plastic material is transparent or translucent and selectively printed or coated with an opaque medium to leave just selected areas transparent or translucent. These selected areas correspond to windows or panels in the first mentioned form of bollard. The casing accommodates a fluorescent lighting unit.

While such a bollard has good durability and weathering properties it lacks the strength and impact resistance of the former bollard and so is much more easily damaged than the former bollard.

The frequency of replacement is consequently increased.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved article of street furniture.

According to the present invention there is provided an article of street furniture comprising a base mount securable to a rigid support surface, a tubular member of metal provided with at least one window opening and securable to said base mount and a sheath of plastics material arranged to envelop said tubular member, said sheath being provided with at least one area visually distinct from the remainder of the sheath said one area being aligned with said window when the sheath envelops the said tubular member.

A traffic bollard embodying the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view from the front of the bollard; and Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view from the rear of the bollard but with an alternative base mount.

The traffic bollard shown in Figure 1 comprises a base mount 2, arranged to be secured by rag bolts, for example, to the floor of a traffic island, a rigid tubular guard member 4 of sheet metal arranged to be secured to the base mount 2 in a manner to be described in more detail hereinafter and a one piece sheath 6 of plastics material arranged to envelop the guard member 8.

The base mount 2 comprises a rectangular wall 2A and a pair of lateral flanges 2B extending outwardly from two opposite sides of the rectangular wall and arranged to lie flat on the floor of the traffic island. Each flange 23 is provided wlth a pair of slots 2C through which rag bolts can pass to rigidly secure the base mount 2 to the floor of the traffic island.

The other two sides of the rectangular wall 2A are each provided with a pair of horizontally spaced securing holes 2D.

The base mount 2 is advantageously of sheet steel and is galvanised.

The guard member 4 which is of sheet steel is closed at its upper end by a roof 4A but is open at its lower end. The member 4 is of rectangular cross-section and is sized to slidingly engage the rectangular wall 2A. The rectangular wall 2A is arranged to be accommodated within the guard member 4. In a modification the guard member 4 may be partially accommodated within the rectangular wall 2A.

Each of the two side walls of the guard member 4 has an elongate window slot 43. The front wall of the guard member has an upper circular window opening 4C and a lower rectangular window opening 4D. These openings correspond to the illuminated areas of conventional bollards.

The rear wall of the member 4 has a large rectangular access opening 4F bridged by a vertical strut 4G.

Each side wall has in its lower region a pair of horizontally spaced openings arranged to be aligned with corresponding openings 2D in the base mount 2, when the guard member 4 is mounted on the base mount 2.

When the four holes 4E of the guard member 4 are aligned with the four holes 2D of the base mount, self tapping screws (not shown) can be used to secure the guard member 4 to the base mount 2 which in turn is secured to the traffic island by rag bolts (not shown).

The sheath 6 comprises a one piece moulding of plastics material. The sheath 6 which is transparent or translucent and of generally rigid plastics material is sized to slide over the guard member 4 to encase the whole guard member. The sheath has an upper generally curved roof 6A and is coloured in those selected areas 6B, 6C and 6D which correspond in size and position to the window openings 4b, 4C, and 4D in the guard member. The colouring which may be achieved by painting, printing or other methods is preferably applied to the inner surface of the sheath. In addition the coloured areas may be provided with symbols or signs as required for the particular site of the bollard.

The sides of the sheath 6 may be provided with slots 6E to allow access to the screw holes provided 2D and 4E. The rear face of the sheath 6 is provided in its upper region with a screw hole 6E which is arraged to be aligned with a corresponding screw hole 4H in the guard member so that the sheath 6 can be secured to the guard member by a single self tapping screw.

The alternative base mount 22 shown in figure 2 comprises a plate portion 22B arranged to lie flat on the ground and a pair of upstanding flange portions 22A located along opposite sides of the plate portion 22B.

The plate portion 22A has four spaced slots 22C through which rag bolts, set into the traffic island can project. The two upstanding flange portions 22A have four spaced screw openings arranged to be aligned with the openings 4E when the guard member 4 is mounted on the base mount 22.

In operation to assemble the bollard the base mount 2 is secured to a traffic island by causing the upper screw threaded ends of the rag bolts set in concrete on the island to pass through the slots 2C (or 22C) and then securing the base mount 2 to the island using screwthread nuts (not shown) to engage the rag bolts. The tubular member 4 is then lowered onto the base mount 2 until the holes 4E become aligned with the holes 2D (or 22D).

Self tapping screws are then used to secure the member 4 to the base mount 2.

A fluorescent lighting unit (not shown) is mounted within the member 4, for example, on the strut 4G and is electrically coupled to a socket (not shown) set in an area of concrete on the traffic island and enclosed by the base mount 2.

Finally the sheath is slid over the guard member 4 and when the hole 6H in the rear face becomes aligned with the hole 4H in the guard member 4 the two are secured together using a single self tapping screw.

Preferably the self tapping screws securing the guard member 4 to the base mount 2 are weakened or otherwise arranged to shear easily upon vehicle impact with the bollard, so as to leave the base mount 2 substantially undamaged regardless of the amount of damage to the guard member 4 and its sheath 6.

Access to the fluorescent unit for maintenance or other purposes is achieved by releasing the screw engaging the holes 6H and 4H and lifting the sheath 6.

In a modification the sheath 6 may be arranged to be flacid and stretch-fitted over the guard member 4.

In yet another modification the guard member 4 may be provided with an open top.

In a yet further modification the guard member 4 may be mounted on the base mount 2 so that its lower edge lies spaced from the flanges 2B and the ground. In this configuration the guard member will be more readily released from the base mount 2 upon impact and so be less likely to inflict damage to the rag bolts.

It will be appreciated that the bollard described has an inner rigid guard member which provides the bollard with sufficient strength to resist damage from minor impacts or vandalisation and has an outer weather-proof sheath to protect the bollard against the ingress of water and corrosion, which sheath at the same time carries any necessary traffic signals.

The sheath being of plastics material in one piece, with no sharp parts or corners is especially easy to clean.

It will of course be appreciated that the construction described can be applied to items of street furniture other than bollards.

Claims

1. An article of street furniture comprising a base mount securable to a rigid support surface, a tubular member of metal provided with at least one window opening and securable to said base mount and a sheath of plastics material arranged to envelop said tubular member, said sheath being provided with at least one area visually distinct from the remainder of the sheath, said one area being aligned with said window when the sheath envelops the said tubular member.

2. An article of street furniture according to Claim 1 therein said at least one area is translucent and coloured differently to the remainder of the sheath.

3. An article of street furniture according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein said one area carries a symbol.

4. An article of street furniture according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 including illumination means housed in said tutular member.

5. An article of street furniture according to any preceeding claim wherein said sheath is secured to said tubular member by a single fixing.

6. An article of street furniture according to any preceeding claim wherein the tubular member is secured to the base mount by a fixing arranged to shear readily upon impact.

7. An article of street furniture according to any preceeding claim wherein said tubular member is of sheet steel.

8. An article according to any preceeding claim wherein said sheath is a one piece moulding.

9. An article according to any preceeding claim wherein said sheath is of rigid plastics.

10. An article according to any on of Claims 1 to 8 wherein said sheath is of flaccid plastics.

11. A bollard substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.