Barriers are extremely important in all types of car park environments. For multi-storey car parks the safety implication in choosing the right barrier is evident.

Centrale shopping centre in Croydon had to overcome a big issue with access to its car park. Due to the sloping nature of the site and its relatively small area an intricate spiral design was developed to fit the contours of the site.

Berry Systems was contracted to design a barrier that would protect the edges of the spiral entry and exit ramps of the shopping centre car park, while also carrying the lighting supports and some electrical cabling. It had to be manufactured to exactly match the geometry of the ramps which were not a consistent radius as they had to fit the slope of the site. Berry Systems used its Berry Beam system mounted on patented spring steel buffers to form the basis of the barriers.

Berry System's commercial director Ian Darlington says: "Spring steel buffers were an ideal choice for this installation. Because the ramps were mounted on a steel deck, we had to make sure the barrier posts didn't breach the waterproofing.

"Spring steel buffers need a much shallower embedment than rigid posts as well as using fewer fixings. This helped us keep well above the waterproofing.

"We were also able to cope with manufacturing the barriers so that each section was curved to fit an exact location and so all the barrier sections were carefully numbered during manufacture and had to be assembled in precisely the right order on site."

Berry Systems also launched its new Berry Brisafe safety barrier at Parkex this April. The perimeter edge protection system is said to be ideal for new-build car parks as it is fixed to the structural supports.

The barriers can be supplied in any RAL colour and can include custom designs and logos, which means shopping centres can reflect their corporate colours or image in the car park. The barrier also has an anti-climb system and a zero bay footprint. It also has a fast, simple and cost-effective single panel replacement system.

Another area that shopping centres should look more closely at is the provision of parking for bikes. Cyclepods are a new and modern method of storing bikes that can store eight bikes within a unit that has a diameter of just two metres. The bikes are stored vertically on their rear wheel around a central axis, maximising space through the use of contemporary design.

Unlike other cycle storage units, Cyclepods enables the cyclist to lock both the bike frame and the front wheel to the unit, fastening the most expensive and most highly targeted part of the bike securely in place. The unit also comes with a roof cover to provide protection from the weather as well as a real visual focal point. The pod is also available in a range of colour finishes.

The Parking Shop has also just been appointed as the UK distributor for Qyuxote Corporation Safe-Hit range of flexible delineator and guidance systems.

These products come in differing levels of strength to support various parking requirements. It is built to withstand multiple impacts and comes in an extensive range of colours with personal branding possible.

information

Cyclepods: 01689 897740

Berry Systems: 01902 491100

The Parking Shop: 01604 696800

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