Overview

Furnitubes supplied 25 Bell cast iron bollards to improve safety at busy intersections in downtown Seattle, USA.

Challenge

Several public streets - namely Williams Avenue, Wells Ave 2nd Street, S 3rd Street and Houser Way - consist of 7 large and busy intersections. Transport and Design for the City of Renton needed a solution to prevent vehicles accidentally driving onto the sidewalks and causing damage to buildings or harm to pedestrians. 

Solution

Furnitubes was contacted by project contractors, Westwater Construction, to supply and ship 24 Bell cast iron bollards for the project. The primary purpose of the bollards was to ensure the safety of pedestrians by slowing down and stopping vehicles at intersections, and to prevent them from mounting pavements and knocking over pedestrians. Additionally, they also serve to safeguard signal cabinets, fire hydrants and buildings. Reflective tape was put on the top of the Bells to improve visibility at night.

CCTV footage of a car sliding into one of the Bell bollards in icy conditions has shown their effectiveness. If the vehicle hadn't been slowed down and redirected by the Bell it would have hit a building.