vehicular barriers

[Spector_51]

I have been waiting my 25 year career as a code official to engage in the code change process. I have been waiting for the right opportunity to chime in and now I think i am on to something. What better way to see if this will have any chance changing the code than to vent my issue here.

I have lost count of the amount of times, i as a municipal code official, third party code inspector, or as a consulting engineer had to respond to call where vehicle have jumped the curb at your local drive-in restaurant or parking lot at the convenience store/gas station, where parking is perpendicular to the glass storefront and only separated by the five foot sidewalk.

I am surprised that the building code does not stipulate some form of protection against impact in these situations.

Am i alone here?

What say ye?

 

[cda]

Yes you are

Sorry

Do you have some prelim code language you want to post.

I am thinking how do write it as to where it would be required at???

 

[Spector_51]

i am thinking that when the exterior wall is "Fragile" ( needs clarification for certain) and when within XX distance to perpendicular parking and /or drive lanes, protection shall be provided by bollards, curbs (height/profile to be determined) or a "non-fragile" exterior wall. I don't think concrete block or other forms of masonry construction would merit protection. My Local ICC Chapter of which i am on the executive board can develop the actual language.

My intent here is to determine the need. I was trying to find a data source to determine how often these incidents occur and what types of injuries are seen as a result. If for example, I responded to 30 or so of these similar types of incidents, i would say that roughly 1/4 of them resulted in an ambulance trip to the emergency room. In retrospect, i wish i would have kept better data, however many time I was called out on the following morning and was not provided with reports from emergency responders.

I know to gain consideration from any code change committee, said committee will want to see some hard data and not just my personal experience.

 

[Keystone]

I can agree with this, we as a Third Party see this a handful of times per year. I don't have data to offer.

Language, not just perpendicular, angle parking should be included as well.

 

[SCBO1]

What is the purpose of a concrete car stop?

 

[classicT]

What is the purpose of a concrete car stop?

It is not a car stop, but a wheel stop. The intent of wheel stop is to alert a driver who is parking to stop short of blocking the accessible pathway at their leading bumper.Required by A117.1.

Wheel stops are not intended to stop a vehicle in motion, that would be a vehicle barrier, but intended to maintain pathway width by initiating a car stopping short of the bumper hanging over the pathway.

 

[my250r11]

Have seen several in the last few years when they upgrade the store they add in barriers on their own.

 

[JCraver]

This doesn't need to be in the building code.

If a building owner wants to erect vehicle barriers he's free to. Otherwise a curb or a parking block separating the required path of travel from the parking space is the very most the code(s) should be mandating.

If people are going to be using vehicles then they should know how to drive them. Teach them better in drivers ed. Pull grandma's license when she can't figure out which is the brake and which is the gas. But don't force a building owner to spend money on something that has nothing to do with his building.

 

[cda]

I usually see them after an atm is pulled out of a building