Flexible Bollards Provide Definition for Vehicle Traffic Control and Safety Without Damage. When bumped, run into, or even flattened — they bounce back!

Traffic lanes, bike lanes, parking areas and other perimeters can be defined with flexible bollards without worry about damage to cars or to the flexible bollards when run over.

Written by: Brad Done

Looks can be deceiving. The flexible bollard product line from Reliance Foundry offers a case-in-point to this old adage. They present the look of a sturdy, steel bollard, but are actually made of a unique composite polymer with no internal metal reinforcement, which allows them to bend up to 90 degrees if bumped or run over by a vehicle. If you own or manage a property where traffic flows past, you know this happens much more frequently than one might think.

Bollards provide excellent definition of road lanes, bike lanes and parking perimeters, and act as guides for traffic control. Vehicle drivers see the bollards and try to avoid them; naturally, some areas are more prone to cars and trucks driving over the bollards. For example, parking garages, curbside definition areas, road curves or city centres are all places where the potential for cars to run over the bollards is higher. When a car hits a solid, immovable object — like a permanent, solid bollard — great damage can be caused to the vehicle and to the bollard, not to mention the possibilty of injury to the vehicle occupants.

Flexible or bendable bollards from Reliance Foundry directly address this problem. They have the look of a solid, permanent steel bollard - and yet if hit, they will bend up to 90 degrees and will still return to their upright shape when the load of the car or truck is removed. Usually, there is little or no damage to the vehicle and the bollard remains in place, also, in most cases, undamaged.

In the series of images below, the plastic polymer, flexible bollard is impacted by the bumper of a car. The driver backs the car up and the flexible bollard returns to the vertical position with no damage to the bollard or to the car.


What are the advantages? Your customers will appreciate being able to leave your parking lot without damage to their car, even after hitting a flexible bollard. The obvious advantage for you as the business owner is that there is little or no damage to the bollard, which reduces your maintenance, repair and replacement costs.

A curve in the road is another place where flexible bollards can provide definition while offering protection and limiting any damage caused when a car hits one of the flexible road bollards. The green, flexible road bollards in this image provide safety for the bicycle lane, and yet minimal damage to the bollard or to a vehicle would be the result if a driver came too close.

There are situations when fixed (permanent) flexible bollards might be required and other places where a removable flexible bollard is a better choice. For example, you may need to move the bollard to allow delivery trucks or maintenance vehicles into an area that is typically kept free from traffic — a removable flexible bollard would be selected in this case. If the flexible bollards are providing the perimeter definition for a permanent parking area, the fixed or permanent installation option should be chosen.

Choose flexible bollards for traffic control when high-grade security (anti-ram) bollards are not needed, yet there is the need to give the appearance of sturdy, immovable traffic guidance.

Flexible bollards, removable bollards and retractable bollards are also used for different purposes relating to traffic control. Reliance Foundry’s complete line of traffic control bollards and security bollard covers meets practically all traffic management needs.

About Reliance Foundry Co. Ltd.

Reliance Foundry has been a family-owned business since 1927. Bollards are one of its main product lines, along with bike racks, industrial wheels and investment castings. Reliance sources products globally and offers quick and convenient delivery in the United States and Canada from its Vancouver location.