Bollards are the key to protecting assets such as machinery, equipment, parts of buildings, and much more. The structures can act as a barrier when installed next to infrastructure and machinery, protecting them from vehicles. They can be used in various environments, protecting assets from damage, or deterring entry into an area.
Bollard designs and styles range in accordance with what the function of the bollard is, whether it be to act as a barrier or decorate a garden. It is imperative to choose the correct type of bollard for each location. Let us further explore some of the different types of industrial and traffic bollards, as well as how they can be used in different settings within car parking and warehousing.
For high-quality urban landscaping elements, StreetScape has got your back. We offer a variety of bollards and other landscaping elements to fit any environment.
Industrial And Traffic Bollards
Different types of bollards are specifically designed for their purpose, be it preventing pedestrians from walking into a certain area or preventing vehicles from crashing into a curbside shop entrance. The shapes, materials used, colours, and other appearance features indicate what kind of bollard it is and what purpose it serves.
Impact-safe industrial bollards are heavy-duty steel barriers that are engineered to help reduce workplace accidents or structural damage within industrial environments. They are placed in hazardous areas where the chance of any impact is at its greatest.
These bollards should ideally be shock absorbent and have impact control. The structures are vital where industrial vehicles are operating as they keep pedestrians safe as they move around car parks and warehouses. Because of this, these structures are usually painted yellow and black, visually alerting pedestrians and drivers and reducing the likelihood of someone tripping over them.
Drop Core bollards are used to mark out and protect semi-temporary zones, structures, and operations within an industrial environment. They have usually painted a different colour for each purpose (fire hazard, caution, and high warning) and have reflective tape placed on the top of the bollard. They are easy and quick to install and can be easily removed and re-used in another area. Drop Core Bollards are made from steel, making them strong and durable.
Embedded Bollards are partially submerged in the ground, adding to their strength and security. They are made from common bollard material including steel, concrete, or even wood. The embedded bollard will only be as strong as the foundation it is buried in, making the foundation of them extremely important.
Other types of industrial traffic bollards include:
• Surface-mounted
• Rebounding
• Retractable/ removable
• Automatic
Bollards Used In Car Parks
In areas where both pedestrians and vehicles use similar spaces, parking bollards should be used. They are strategic, protecting both people and assets. Parking bollards are designed to protect and manage designated parking areas for vehicles while indicating designated areas of safety for pedestrians to use.
Parking bollards provide visible height protection and create a buffer between oncoming traffic and costly infrastructure, for example; yellow safety bollards at a height of 900mm or higher are used to protect gates, entryways, lift wells, columns, gas and water pipes, and other similar building infrastructure. Although the bollards are easy to overlook, they are but a small investment and can provide a great return.
Congested Parking Areas:
Parking bollards are used in congested parking areas. They reduce congestion problems by creating better traffic control and parking management by guiding traffic through the pre-delineated boundaries and by clearly separating entry and exit lanes. They mark the end of parking bays, preventing vehicles from going over parking boundaries, and they restrict the ability of drivers to take shortcuts through parking stations and create dangerous traffic situations.
To Protect Asset Infrastructure:
Parking asset infrastructure is protected by a strategically placed bollard or two. Concrete columns, elevator shafts, gates, roller- doors, essential service pipelines, and much more are installed in underground parking basements and are costly to repair and maintain. Anytime a vehicle bumps into this infrastructure, damage is likely to occur, whether it be minor or major. By installing parking bollards, such damage is prevented simply and smartly. It is far more cost-effective to install protective and preventive bollards up front, rather than continuously repairing and maintaining parking infrastructure which regularly incurs damage.
To Reserve Disabled Parking Spots:
Bollard structures are also used to reserve disabled parking spots. Because disabled parking is usually situated close to building entry points and is easily accessible to the public, many people tend to take advantage of using them and think to themselves that “no one will see” or “it will just be for a few minutes”.
This is unfair to disabled people, to whom the parking bays are allocated to. Parking bollards are the perfect solution to ensure that these parking bays are reserved solely for those who are disabled. They create a blockage to vehicles who want to enter the parking spot, forcing them to reconsider and speak to the management of the building to remove them.
The bollards tend to deter those who shouldn’t be using the parking spot, purely from the effort required to remove the bollard.
To Expand and Reduce Parking Areas:
There are often situations in which there is a need to either expand or restrict areas available for parking because of an event occurring. For example, if there is a sporting event or a music concert, parking needs to be available to its maximum capacity, while also considering a reserved area for working employees. Another situation which could be considered is if attendants of the event can only park on the first two floors of a parking building. Bollards can be used here to stop vehicles from parking freely all over the parking lot, containing them in the first two levels of the parking lot.
Bollards Used in Warehouses:
Warehouses, factories, and other large industrial properties are very complex, high-traffic locations with many people visiting the site. Heavy-duty trucks, employee vehicles, or other means of active transport are used to bring these people to see the large buildings, different machines, and assets that are kept inside these industrial areas. In a space with so many moving parts, safety is a major factor to consider and account for. An industrial bollard, also known as a warehouse bollard, should be installed for safety measures. The different types of warehouse bollards serve and support different functions within the industrial warehouses.
Traffic Guidance and Perimeter Security:
The perimeter of a warehouse will usually have a fence or some bollards around it. These security bollards are used as a fencing alternative and prevent vehicles from entering the industrial area except through the authorised gate. These small structures can also be used for branding purposes and can be decorated with colour and style, according to the warehouse brand. Other bollard types which help with the aspect of security are impact-rated bollards that can help defend against ram raids or terrorist attacks. These bollards are mainly required for extra protection.
Protection Around Utilities:
Because industrial spaces operate using electricity, a power outage can severely delay production even when backup generators are on site. By placing bollards around electrical boxes, utility metres, and other important inputs, downtime due to an electrical interruption is prevented. Inside warehouses, asset-protecting bolt-down bollards are usually strong enough to handle forklifts or skip jacks which could knock into the bollards or be used to remove them. In a parking lot outside, security bollards which are embedded into the concrete are more common as they are thicker, taller, and filled with concrete, offering great protection.
Protecting Handling Equipment:
Industrial trucks drive freely and often work with stationary material-handling equipment such as conveyors and cranes. Bollards are used to surround conveyors, preventing them from being driven into. The structures also mark and protect the supports of a raised conveyor. Bollards are also used to create an authorised zone around cranes as these machines come with unpredictable movement. Removable bollards are best suited to this job as the cranes move throughout the building process and certain industrial trucks will need access to the cranes for loading or unloading.
About StreetScape
StreetScape is a landscaping element manufacturer based in Cape Town, South Africa. We offer country-wide delivery services and aim to make urban spaces more functional, inviting, and beautiful. StreetScape ensures longevity, durability, and quality by using high-grade materials for our landscaping elements. Most of our products are either made from steel or concrete to ensure that they continue to improve your outdoor urban setting for years to come.
We, at StreetScape, value quality with unique design, which is why we blend the two, at affordable prices no less. Our team has many years of experience with manufacturing landscaping elements and our skills and knowledge are used to ensure every landscaping element produced meets our high standards. We are one of the lead suppliers of:
• Bins
• Seating
• Kerbing
• Wall coping
• Signage
• Planters
• Tree elements
• Aggregate paving
• Steps
• Bollards
StreetScape supplies 30 different concrete bollard designs and 14 different steel bollard designs. Our designs range in appearance as well as in function. Our concrete bollards come in the shape of spheres, cubes, and vertical posts. Some of them, such as the Taper Bollard, can be painted, unpainted or have an exposed aggregate finish, depending on the aesthetic and style of the area in which they are going to be placed.
We can also attach chains to certain designs, preventing vehicles from entering certain spaces and closing off areas. Our concrete bollard designs include a lockable ash bollard or bin that is used to ash and throw cigarettes. We also have a water fountain design or a tap which includes a Walcro push button finish, allowing users access to drinking water. These are excellent features to include in public spaces as society is served and the environment is kept clean. The heavy structures are also able to weigh up to 400kg, making them almost impossible to swipe.
Our steel bollard designs are powder coated to any desired colour and receive a hot dip, galvanising the metal and preventing rusting. The 14 different steel structure designs are lighter in weight, compared to a concrete bollard, and can also have a chain attached to them, allowing for an area to be fenced-off from vehicles and the public. One of our designs includes a flat plate that allows the bollard to be removed from its position, making it ideal for use on parking decks.
Be sure to check out our website for the different designs we offer at StreetScape. We also have a guide available online for those who need clarification, however, please feel free to contact us via email, WhatsApp, or phone call.