Bollards vs. Barriers: Which is Best for Your Property?

Bollards and barriers are now considered key parts of traffic management, urban planning and site security worldwide. These versatile fittings help control access, regulate traffic flow and protect structures and buildings. Barriers and gates are almost as old as human civilisation, while roadside bollards have been uncovered in the preserved Roman city of Herculaneum, buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius over 1900 years ago.

Modern bollards and barriers perform the same functions as their ancient predecessors, but with the benefit of modern design and materials, and being designed to control, secure and resist modern vehicles rather than pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages.

But bollards and barriers serve the same basic function in different ways, making each better suited to different tasks and situations. Read on to learn whether bollards or barriers are the best way to secure your property. Let’s start by looking at each type of security fitting, what each design does and where it works best.

Bollards

Bollards are short posts set vertically into the ground. They provide deterrence and physically block traffic. The classic bollard is a post made of cast iron or steel, but they can also be concrete, polyurethane or timber.

The familiar fixed bollard acts as a roadblock. They permanently prevent the passage of vehicles. This means they can be used to block vehicles from pedestrianised areas, protect pavements and entrances from road traffic, narrow roadways to slow traffic or prevent the access of large vehicles or stop damage to roadside buildings and structures.

There are also removable bollards, which can be removed from their sockets in the ground. So, these are ideal for situations that require occasional vehicle access, or where spaces have to sometimes be blocked to vehicles. A variant of this is the retractable or telescopic bollard. These are more user-friendly than a removable bollard since the bollard doesn’t have to be stored when not in use.

A more sophisticated development of the telescopic bollard are motorised ones operated by remote control or other sort of access systems. A remote control or some sort of identification card, chip or fob lowers the bollard when activated or detected. Automatic security bollards like these provide seamless entry to those intended to access the site or area while preventing access to others.

Modern steel, concrete and plastic bollards can usually come in crash-rated versions as well. These are designed to withstand high impact forces from vehicle collisions and so, protect against accidents or deliberate ramming. Non-crash-rated bollards are more easily deformed, flattened or pulled from the ground in an impact. These are more for deterrence, visually showing where vehicles can and can’t go and being a first line of defence. They reduce damage to vehicles that do inadvertently hit them.

When It’s Best to Fit Bollards

Bollards are best used in situations where flexibility of use and maximisation of space are key. Unlike most forms of barriers, bollards have a small footprint and are unobtrusive. When in place (or, for retracting types, raised) they do not block access for pedestrians. Multiple bollards across an entrance or path can, when all in place, block all vehicle access. If one is removed or lowered it can allow access for cars and small vehicles but not commercial vehicles. Retractable bollards are also ideal as a simple way to restrict access to individual parking spaces – only the right person with the key or fob can lower the bollard.

Bollards have less visual impact than barriers – traditionally shaped and painted bollards can even be considered desirable and distinctive street furniture. A retractable security bollard for driveways is an ideal security measure for a home or business premises without a more intrusive and unwelcoming barrier.

Bollards, especially deformable plastic or timber ones, serve well as visual markers and deterrents. For instance, marking the limit of a car parking area or preventing parking near pedestrian crossings. Bollards can also deflect vehicles away from vulnerable structures – they are often found at each end of bridge parapets to both prevent vehicles from accidentally driving off the bridge or hitting and damaging the parapet. They serve similar functions for narrow gateways and other entrances. They can also protect vital infrastructure like utility and communication equipment on the outside of buildings near car parks or roadways.

Barriers

Barriers are less flexible than bollards, since they entirely close off a road or area to all forms of traffic. They too can be made in a variety of materials – steel, plastic and wood are the common ones – and take several basic forms.

Barriers fall into broad types. Passive barriers have no moveable parts. They do not open or close. They are suitable for closing off an area or path but must be physically removed if access is required. Active barriers have one or more moving parts so that access can be granted when needed.

Passive barriers are ideal for entirely closing a route or area for either a short or a long time. They can even be used to close off access permanently, in cases like steel guard rails. They’re simple and low-cost, but where frequent access is required, they are inconvenient. This is where active barriers are better, although they are more expensive and complex to install. Active barriers include those with a gate or arm that lifts or turns out of the way and wedge barriers which rise from the road or ground surface.

In turn, many active barriers can range from simple manual types where the barrier is opened and closed by hand and locked and unlocked with a key to sophisticated ones that are power-operated and use keycodes, remote controls or fobs to grant access.

Like bollards, barriers can also come in crash-rated forms, which means they can resist impact forces from accidents or ramming.

When It’s Best to Fit Barriers

Barriers are best used when it’s not a case of deterring access or limiting it to certain types of traffic but securing an entire site or access point. Static barriers are often linked together to secure or protect areas. Low hoop-type steel static barriers can prevent vehicles leaving designated roads, parking on grass or away from the edge of a ledge or slope. Active barriers more usually act as entry/exit points.

Barriers also require more space for their mounting points, and on some types to accommodate the arm or barrier when it’s in its open position. They’re best suited to commercial and industrial sites with large car parks or internal road networks rather than individual parking spaces or residential driveways.

Choose the Right Solution for Your Space

Whether you want to secure a precious vehicle in your garage, prevent people parking on your driveway, keep pedestrian spaces for people not cars, safely encircle a car park or control access to a workplace site, bollards and barriers can be the answer.

If you’re still not sure which would be right for your case or want advice on which type of bollard or barrier to use, be sure to contact Bison Products today.