Bollards are usually found in the form of a short post made from metal, wood, or concrete. They are essential as they are used to protect storefronts, walking pedestrians, and much more from oncoming traffic or vehicles that drivers have lost control of. They are more important than society thinks and there have been scenarios in which bollards managed to prevent people from losing their lives. Keep reading to learn more about how bollards are used as a safety feature in various public settings.
Traffic Bollards:
Styles and types of bollards vary. Each bollard is specifically designed for its purpose and has its benefits and limitations. For example, a Lighted Bollard is a bollard with a source of light built into it to light the surrounding area. The most common bollard is a traffic bollard, with its main types being:
• Embedded Bollards
• Surface Mounted Bollards
• Rebounding Bollards
• Retractable/ removable Bollards
Embedded bollard is embedded deep into the ground for added strength and security. They are made from any common material such as concrete or wood but are usually made from steel. Embedded bollards are usually filled with concrete and buried deep within a block of reinforced concrete. Because a bollard is only as strong as its foundation, it is very important to make sure a bollard is well secured and has a good foundation.
Surface Mounted Bollards use some sort of anchor system to mount them to the surface. The anchor system is usually mechanical. This type of bollard is found to be one of the weakest types of bollards when impacted as the bollard is often left titled and the foundation is damaged.
Rebounding Bollards are relatively new to the bollard field and use energy absorption technology to provide the strength of some Embedded Bollards. A rebounding bollard is flexible and tilts as a mechanism when impacted. Because they use a spring system, the energy of the vehicle which impacted the bollard is absorbed and dissipated. The bollard then returns to its original position, undamaged and fully functional. These types of bollards are common in the United Kingdom and serve as a marker or barrier to prevent vehicles from entering an area.
Retractable/ Removable Bollards are designed to allow people access to a certain area that would have normally been denied by the structures. These bollards use technology to be able to be removed or retracted. The lowest technology is the pipe-in-tube method which is when the bollard can be removed from the socket when access is granted. The most expensive method is the automatic retractable bollard which is usually hydraulically powered. The bollard can retract straight down into the ground and become flush with the ground’s surface during access.
Incidents Where Bollards Helped Save Lives:
Two well-placed bollards managed to save two people’s lives outside of a donut shop in June 2018. Footage of the incident can be found on YouTube, showing the view of the incident from outside and inside the dessert shop. At around 8:30 am in Auburn, Washington, a white Dodge pickup truck sped over the pavement and sidewalk, as though the driver had lost control of the vehicle. The car almost drove straight into two pedestrians entering Donut Star, and through the store’s windows.
Luckily, the speeding vehicle was abruptly stopped by two bright yellow bollards just outside the donut shop entrance. The two pedestrians were unharmed and left the store with quite a story to tell. The donut shop’s entrance remains intact, although some furniture was knocked over and a window was damaged by the truck. The vehicle was damaged badly, with its front being smashed in, however, the driver remained unharmed. News reports state that the driver of the pickup truck (a middle-aged man) was arrested on the suspicion of driving under the influence. Employees and other customers inside Donut Star immediately helped the driver and checked on the pedestrians.
Another incident in which carefully placed bollards saved lives occurred outside of the One Stop shop on East Road, Northborough. A news report interviews the owner of the shop and quotes him saying it’s “lucky no one was hurt” after a car drove into the shop entrance and was stopped by a metal bollard just outside the store’s entrance. At 10:57 am, on 8 December 2016, a driver of a Peugeot 3008 lost control of her vehicle and careered into the shop.
An employee of the shop was interviewed and stated that she was serving a customer at the time of the incident when suddenly she heard a loud bang and the car almost went right through the shop. The lady went on to describe how a baby in a pushchair was near the area in which the car pummelled. Had it not been for the bollard, the car would have gone straight into the shop, injuring those near its entrance.
Outside a Mini Mart convenience store in Washington, a bollard saved a little girl’s life. The 6-year- old walked away without a scratch after a large pickup truck-type vehicle reversed unexpectedly after the driver lost control. In security camera footage, which can be found on Youtube, the truck is seen to reverse at a fast speed and go straight over a bollard and directly into the girl. Luckily, the girl stopped in her tracks and was left unharmed as the vehicle was forced up by the bollard and rested over the girl. She managed to duck below the truck and quickly walked away.
The footage is seen as distressing as you are unable to see the little girl after the vehicle was forced above her. The bollard remained intact, although the foundation had been damaged. It is so important for pedestrians to remain behind the bollards when walking in pathways or parking lots as they are there for safety measures and to prevent incidents like these from becoming worse.
When Bollards Stopped a Killer:
The turning point for the redesign of Times Square occurred after bollards were able to stop a Honda Sedan from ploughing into dozens more pedestrians after a man, who was high on PCP (a hallucinogenic drug), unexpectedly drove through three blocks of a city sidewalk. A woman was killed, and 20 others were injured during the incident. The city has since added bollards on the sidewalks around Times Square to match those around pedestrian plazas. The driver began his attempted spree by making a U-turn on 42nd Street, hitting people walking on the west side of Seventh Avenue as he headed for the pedestrian plaza at Broadway and 45th Street.
Luckily, some bollards managed to stop his car, preventing the young man from doing more damage. The 26-year-old driver was immediately taken into custody and held without bail. He was later charged with one count of murder, 20 counts of attempted murder, and five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide. The young man suffers from mental health issues and was previously arrested for driving under the influence as well as for menacing areas of New York. If the bollards had not been in place, many more lives could have been lost.
When Bollards Were Needed:
The emergency department at South Shore Hospital received 16 patients with various injuries on the 21st of November 2022. A man was also killed in the incident after another man drove his SUV vehicle into an Apple store in a shopping plaza. Several others were also injured. The event took place in Hingham, Massachusetts at about 11 am. The 2019 Toyota 4Runner crashed through the front glass of the store, landing inside the Apple Store building. Injured people were found both inside and outside the store, including several people who were “pinned against the wall by the vehicle”. First- responders, co-workers, and bystanders gave first aid to multiple victims, and seven fire engines and 14 ambulances quickly arrived to help. In total, 21 people were injured and 1 killed.
Apple said it was devastated by the shocking events and the tragic loss of a professional who was onsite supporting recent construction at the store. Apple CEO, Tim Cook, visited South Shore Hospital to see the treated patients. The driver, a 53- year- old man, was arrested and claimed the crash was an accident that occurred due to his right foot being stuck on the gas pedal and his being unable to stop the accelerator. The man had no visual impairments or other medical issues which could have caused the accident, although he did have a record of driving under the influence from an incident in 2020. This resulted in him being charged with motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation and him being held at District Court on a $100,000 bail. Bollards should have been in place to prevent the crashing vehicle from going onto the pedestrian’s pavement and entering the Apple Store, however, there were none. The Apple store later installed bollards.
StreetScape and Bollards:
StreetScape is a landscaping element manufacturer based in Cape Town, South Africa. We produce landscaping elements to make urban space more functional, inviting, and beautiful. All our landscaping elements are manufactured locally, and we offer country-wide delivery services. We are a leading supplier of:
• Bins
• Seating
• Kerbing
• Wall coping
• Signage
• Planters
• Tree Elements
• Aggregate Paving
• Steps
• Bollards
StreetScape landscaping elements come in a range of colours, sizes, and designs, making it easy to find a landscaping element suited to the aesthetic style of your home or business. We blend quality with unique designs while remaining affordable. Our StreetScape team has many years of experience in manufacturing landscaping elements, and we use our skills and knowledge to ensure that every element produced meets our high standards.
We offer concrete and steel bollards with over 10 different designs per material. We believe bollards are more than just a post used to set a boundary, but rather an important feature that can save shops and houses from being severely damaged by vehicles. The structures are put in place to provide protection, demark space, and/ or preserve a historical area. We would recommend all shop owners install a set of bollards in front of their shop entrance for extra protection purposes.
If you are interested in purchasing bollards or other landscaping elements, please look at our website or contact us via Whatsapp, phone call, or email. We would be happy to offer advice, answer questions or guide you in choosing what type of bollard would best suit your needs.