6 Types Of Bollards And Their Uses

Bollards serve many purposes, but the main reason for putting up these barricades is for the safety of both properties and people. These are used as barricades between parking lots and sidewalks or buildings. They can also be used to reduce the speed of traffic by narrowing the lanes.

Safety Bollards have many more uses other than those mentioned above. Therefore, it only makes sense to have a different variety of these. Knowing the types of bollards and their uses will give you an idea of which can serve your purposes best. Here are some of the types of bollards and their uses.

Removable Bollards

For people looking for flexibility, removable bollards are for you. Unlike round concrete bollards, removable bollards can easily be removed from your property whenever you need additional space. You can use this bollard to prevent vehicle access and even for delineation.

Permanent Bollards

As the name suggests, this bollard placement is as sturdy as they sound. These permanent bollards can protect your property by serving as a warning to people and their vehicles who try to pass through a limited access space.

Retractable Bollards

These anti-ram bollards limit vehicle access in a building or facilities’ entry and exit points. You can manipulate these at any time of the day, provided you are given access to enter and leave the premises where the retractable bollards are located. These raise from the ground to prevent entry and retract back to their ground receivers to allow vehicles to pass through. 

For more on how retractable bollards can secure your property, read our comprehensive guide to vehicle management and security. 

Automatic Bollards

Want the kind of bollards that give you easy control and access? Then what you need are automatic bollardsautomatic bollards. You either raise or lower the bollard without having to do it by yourself manually. This robust security measure is perfect for people who are always on the go and have very little to no time to spare.

Flexible Plastic Bollards

If you’re looking for lane delineation, you might consider this flexible plastic bollard. It is highly visible, can be run over for easy access, and can pop right up thanks to its vertical memory. These are an ideal choice for high-traffic areas.

Decorative Bollards

Who says bollards have to be dull and boring? The unique bollards are not only capable of securing an area but can also complement the design of the building and its landscaping.

There are many bollards under the decorative type, like the following:

• Round Concrete Bollards:

   These round bollards made of concrete are cylindrical. These are used to control pedestrian traffic and promote safety. Thanks to its form, it can also serve as a bench or stool. It can come in many colour variations that only add to its aesthetic.

• Stainless steel bollards:

  These decorative bollards provide a reliable security measure for your business and property while giving off a sleek and classy vibe. Permanent, retractable and automatic or round stainless steel bollards also exist for additional strength and durability.

• Surface mount bollards: Surface mount bollards are a type of bollard designed to be installed directly onto the surface of an existing pavement, floor, or ground, rather than being embedded into it. These bollards are secured to the surface using strong anchoring systems, such as bolts, which are fixed into pre-drilled holes in the concrete or other hard surfaces.Surface mount bollards are often used in situations where deep excavation is not possible or desirable, such as in parking garages, on bridges, or on surfaces where underground utilities or structural limitations prevent deep installations. They provide a flexible and relatively easy-to-install solution for traffic control, perimeter protection, and security barriers in both indoor and outdoor settings. Despite being less deeply anchored than embedded bollards, surface-mounted bollards can still offer substantial resistance to impact, depending on their design, material, and the anchoring system used.

Parking Bollards

A parking bollard is a sturdy, vertical post installed to control road traffic and prevent vehicles from parking or driving in certain areas. These posts can be made from various materials, including steel, concrete, and plastic, and are often used to protect pedestrians and property by creating physical barriers between vehicle traffic and vulnerable areas.

Parking bollards can be fixed, retractable, or even removable, allowing for flexibility in controlling vehicle access. They are commonly found in parking lots, on sidewalks, near buildings, in parks, and in other public areas where vehicle access needs to be restricted for safety and order.

Non-Conductive Bollards

Non-conductive bollards are designed to provide physical barriers or security without conducting electricity. This feature is particularly important in environments where there is a risk of electrical shock or where it’s crucial to prevent the transfer of electrical currents, such as near electrical equipment, substations, or in areas with underground wiring.

These bollards are made from materials that do not allow electricity to pass through them easily, such as certain plastics, composites, or coated metals with insulating properties. The non-conductive nature of these bollards ensures that they can safely be installed in sensitive areas without posing a risk of electrical conduction, which could lead to equipment damage, fires, or personal injury. They are used in various settings, including industrial sites, electrical substations, near transformers, and in any location where electrical safety is a concern.

Use bollards to secure and manage traffic flow 

Our comprehensive vehicle management and security guide show how you can use bollards to secure private and commercial property, manage traffic flow, and protect assets. Knowing what you need and want is the key to choosing the right kind of bollards. Types of bollards and their uses differ depending on the traffic management goal. With a little research, you’ll be able to find one that will best suit your needs. Get in contact with Image Extra today and speak to us about how we can secure your property and manage your traffic flow.

Any way you slice it, what it comes down to is bollards keep you, your building, and your customers safe. 

Though they may seem like a modern-day invention to an age-old problem, the truth is the idea of bollards have been around for over 200 years. According to Wikipedia, “From the 17th and 18th centuries, old cannons were often used as bollards on quaysides to help moor ships along. The cannon would be buried in the ground muzzle-first, leaving the rear end projecting above the ground.. Bollards from the 19th century often inherited a very similar ‘cannon’ shape.”

The use of bollards has evolved, too.

In the early 1800s, Amsterdam residents took a no curb and no yard problem into their own hands. They started installing cast iron bollards in front of their homes and businesses to prevent damage from carriage traffic. This began a trend through all of Amsterdam, as the city started installing bollards to more clearly identify pedestrian walkways.

Then, in the late 1880s as vehicles became more powerful than a horse and buggy, bollards had to adapt. The cast iron posts installed in yards and business fronts were no longer strong enough to protect against the weight of a car. 

As the times changed, so did the bollards, which leads us to where we are today. The desire for protection and safety against traffic accidents remains, which means so does the need for bollards.

Types of bollards and what they are used for

 

Let’s take a look at the many applications bollards are used for today - and how they might apply to your building.

1. Pedestrian guides:

   These bollards are almost purely decorative and are meant as a guide for pedestrians so they know which lanes were designated for them to walk in. They also help to keep traffic out of those spaces.

2. Security bollards

   : To help prevent stores from “smash and grab” burglaries, where a heavy vehicle smashes through a window of a shop and items can be looted in a short period of time, you can install security bollards. While the decorative bollards mentioned above are used to visually identify specific areas, theft protection bollards are designed to prevent vehicle access to a storefront. In more extreme cases, too, they protect against terrorist attacks in high security areas. That’s why they must be stronger and more efficient. (And often not as appealing to the eye - but they make covers for that!)

3. Safety bollards:

   These are used for protecting against lower impact storefront crashes, 60 of which happen every day. These crashes hold you and your store accountable for damages and injuries, and safety bollards, like McCue’s CrashCore can help protect against that.

4. Protection for building components

   : In many cases, bollards can be designed that will specifically be placed near a vulnerable gas or water meter, for example, to protect against accidents.

5. Asset protection:

    Bollards can be installed inside stores to be used on the corners of refrigeration units, ATMs, or retail shelving. The goal is to alert the customers of potential dangers and protect against carts or hand-powered cleaning equipment. 

6. Bicycle security and protection

   : These types of bollards serve a double purpose. First, because you have a steel post outside for bikes to hook up to, you’re giving your store an added layer of protection and traffic management. But you’re also attracting cycling customers.

Installing bollards at your store is always a good idea because you can’t put safety on hold. Still unsure which bollard would be right for you and your business?

Visit McCue to learn more about what bollards can do to help protect your stores, or give one of our safety experts a call - they can point you in the right direction.

6 Types Of Bollards And Their Uses