About Us
Polara is the leading supplier of Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) and ADA-compliant push buttons in North America. Scroll down to learn about who we are, where we came from, and what makes our products unique.
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We’re on a mission to make crossings safer for all pedestrians.
At Polara, we strongly believe that cities should be accessible to everyone, including those with visual and auditory impairments. By offering effective, compliant, and feature-rich crosswalk solutions, as well as continuously developing new products and features that set the standard for durability, value, and ease of installation, we’re building a world we want to live in—one crosswalk at a time.
Pioneering the difficult, since 1969.
From day one, Polara has been committed to engineering products that solve complex problems and exceed customer expectations. Whether manufacturing electronic components for military and medical equipment—which we did for 30 years—or designing state-of-the-art pedestrian push buttons and Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS), we’re all about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
Setting the benchmark for performance and durability.
If there’s one thing Polara is known for after 50+ years in business, it’s delivering ultra-reliable, durable products that can stand up to just about anything. Our buttons are proven to operate in a wide range of environmental conditions and are unaffected by ice, fog, and smoke, as well as physical obstructions like paint and paper. We’ve even taken baseball bats to our Bulldog push buttons—they broke, the buttons didn’t.
Forward motion & consistent growth.
Polara has been a leader in accessible pedestrian products from the very beginning and we intend to continue to set the pace for innovation for years to come. Our products are installed in more North American cities than any other, and for good reason: They’re the most durable, technologically advanced, and pedestrian-friendly in the industry. We build the best infrastructure for today, and all that comes next.
“When we first came out with the Bulldog, I’d take it to trade shows and set it up on a pole next to my booth, along with a baseball bat. I’d tell people to hit it as hard as they could, and if they could break it, I’d give them $100. Well, the Bulldog can take dozens, even hundreds of hits, before it breaks. So you’d hear this loud whack and everybody goes, ‘oooooh!’ and ‘ahhhh!’ We’d have a line-up of people waiting to hit it. I think the most I ever gave away at a show was $200. People couldn’t believe how durable it was.”