Why do many parking lots in downtown LA use retractable tire spikes as access control devices?
I'm currently on a road trip to LA to see a show.
Trying to find parking in downtown LA is quite the challenge. And it's made much worse when I saw a sign saying "Warning: Do not back up - severe tire damage" as I attempted to worm my way out of a full parking lot. I looked down and saw a row of large tire spikes.
These spikes are installed at entrances and exits of all the public parking lots I've visited in downtown LA. Usually there's one at the entrance and another at the exit. They retract down into the ground, and are curved in a way so that cars driving in the "correct" direction would push them down harmlessly while a car diving in the "wrong" direction would have its tires impaled on the spikes.
Now I'm from Philadelphia. I've never seen such blatantly dangerous and harmful access control devices in downtown Philadelphia. Here it's either a powered lift/tilting gate or a speedbump-like device. The other type of parking lot access control device I've seen is a row of powered bollards I saw in London and Cambridge (Great Britain).
Why do many (if not all) parking lots in downtown LA use retractable tire spikes as access control devices? What would be the benefit of a impaling a car on the spikes, causing damage to pretty much all parties involved (the driver/car owner, the parking lot operator, and the people trying to enter/exit the lot)?
Best Answer
There are several reasons:
- Free flow of one-way traffic. Gates will cause backups when opening, especially in confined entryways.
- Minimal vehicle damage. Other then replaceable tires, spikes will not damage most vehicles unless they are left in Track mode.
- They are 'multi-use' :). If vehicle crashes a gate, the gate will probably be damage and require repair, taking it out of service for some time. Spikes are not damaged when used and remain in service.
- Spikes are more effective theft prevention. A gate does very little to stop a vehicle while spikes render it mostly undrivable.
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Why do traffic spikes exist?
These spikes are designed to prevent drivers from entering through an access point where the gate may close slowly or where a gate cannot be installed. When a driver drives over traffic control spikes from the wrong direction, the spikes pierce the tires, causing them to deflate and need to be replaced.How do traffic spikes work?
Traffic spikes prevent vehicles from proceeding through a traffic lane in the wrong direction by enforcing one-way traffic lanes. Flush mount spikes are available with Spring Retraction or with Weighted Retraction. Speed bumps force drivers to slow down while driving through the controlled entry point.What are tire treadles?
Treadle units are activated by the forward or reverse rolling motion of the vehicle tires. The strips are activated in a sequential manner, due to their placement and separation in the treadle body.What are tire spikes called?
A spike strip (also known as traffic spikes, tire shredders, one-way traffic treadles, tiger teeth and tire poppers). Spikes are designed to puncture tires if vehicles enter from the wrong direction. Tire Spikes are an economical way to prevent wrong way traffic through an exit gate or entry gate.TiSO automatic spike barrier Tire-killer (bi-directional) with above the ground installation
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Answer 2
These are probably design decisions that we don't have access to, but I can see a couple of advantages to the tire spike system:
- It almost certainly is less expensive to install, maintain, and operate than a powered system like a gate or bollards.
- The potential to damage a car may be seen as a feature, as it may discourage people from trying to circumvent the system.
Also, as noted by Zach Lipton in a comment, tire spikes may be problematic in regions that get snow (though I have seen them in the northeastern U.S. at least occasionally). This may also help explain why they are more common in LA than the other areas you mention.
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