One doesn’t often consider that concrete bollards play a pivotal role in the Formula One Grand Prix. But these landscaping elements are vital in keeping individuals safe and secure behind barriers. If your attention has now been slightly drawn, take a look through this short article to learn more about the necessity of concrete bollards and barriers at the Formula One Grand Prix.
What Are Bollards?
Typically, bollards are round or cylinder-shaped posts. They are made of concrete materials encapsulating a steel pole and are often embedded into the ground. Bollards suffice in giving off a strong, structured appearance and can help guide the flow of traffic.
This is why they are needed at Formula One. Concrete bollards are used for the creation of a protective barrier. In this case, they will be playing the role of protecting the crowds and crew members from dangerously fast racing cars.
How Are Concrete Bollards Used As A Protective Measure?
Bollards serve the main purpose of providing safety. While there are definitely a few fans who would want to risk stepping in front of a speeding Formula One race car, this could spell disaster for fans and drivers alike. Bollards are there to keep fans and other racetrack workers from wandering off course.
Bollards can provide protection in case of accidents. Specifically, in places where high-speed vehicles are driving, concrete bollards as protective barriers are crucial. This is because concrete bollards have the endurance to withstand or reflect the impact of high-speeding vehicles.
Bollards are made to not give way to forceful vehicle collisions. The bollard is made up of compact concrete that does not collapse which allows for the vehicle to take a full kinetic impact without harming bystanders. In dealing with high-speed vehicles such as Formula One cars, the concrete bollards and barriers placed around the race track are set to brace for and resist the impact of the fast-moving motor vehicles.
Bollards On Racetracks:
Motorsport is a dangerous sport not only for the drivers but the onlookers as well. Thus, at the Motor Grand Prix for Formula One, many precautions are set in place to manage the surrounding crowd.
Motorsport races started out as a few cars racing on a small track in the United States of America. Back then, crowd safety was not a priority. There were no barriers or bollards set in place to keep the crowd separate from the racers. This proved to be a problematic safety hazard.
In recent years, managers had to step up their game when it came to keeping supporters safe on race day. Concrete bollards and barriers were set in place in a way which consequently led to careering vehicles bouncing back and away from the crowds. Yes, that is right, a concrete bollard had the sustainability to endure and deflect the impact of an oncoming, high-speeding vehicle from a bustling crowd.
Bollards are often underestimated in their strengths and capabilities regarding security and safety. Yet, they clearly have the ability to withstand collisions with Formula One competing vehicles that have been built for high speeds.
Bollards As Protective Barriers:
The main purpose of a bollard is safety. As discussed, the strength of a selectively placed bollard will be able to keep spectators safe from race cars by absorbing the impact if a collision occurs. Thus, their function as a protective barrier is vastly beneficial and cannot be understated.
Bollards also control the flow of traffic. In the case of Formula One Grand Prix races, this is vitally important. Selectively placed bollards can make roads narrower, forcing the cars to slow down at certain points of the tracks. Furthermore, by placing bollards at certain places on the Formula One terrain you can keep the crowd separate from the cars by establishing roadblocks and forcing them to reroute.
Human safety is the top consideration for Formula One workers. They establish strict rules for both the drivers and spectators. Thus, you will always find bollards and barriers around the Formula One track and perimeters. Concrete bollards can be replaced when hit by an oncoming high-speed vehicle, but someone’s life cannot be replaced or reimbursed.
Bollards For Sectioning Off-Limit Spaces:
A clever use for Bollards, especially in Formula One, is to indicate designated spaces. There are places where the cars are parked and places where people move about, and to establish a separation between the two, concrete bollards can be placed. For example, at the Pits, cars are in and out continuously, thus only crew members and those with passes should be allowed in. By placing concrete bollards around the spaces where the cars will be pulling in, you are protecting the drivers, staff and spectators.
Alternative Purposes Of Bollards
Bollards can function as much more than just a protective barrier. It may cost you some money to install a concrete bollard, but these landscaping elements will also allow you access to profit gains. Bollards are a blank canvas. This means you can use the bollards for marketing opportunities.
Marketing Tips with Bollards:
The main goal of marketing with bollards is to grab people’s attention. The list of benefits when marketing with bollards is endless. However, the greatest benefit is that it attracts attention from by-passers. Which is exactly what you want!
What do we do when we want to grab people’s attention? Do we whisper? No, we shout. So don’t leave your concrete bollard looking dull and colourless. Make your marketing pop by adding some colour.
When it comes to marketing, what is being promoted needs to be recognised. You want your audience to be clear on the message. Thus, even though the usage of bollards for marketing purposes is highly beneficial, if it is not done coherently you may leave your audience confused.
So, let us look at how we can use bollards efficiently for marketing. First of all, bollards are likely to be placed in places where high pedestrian traffic takes place. This means a lot of people will be seeing your advertisements on the bollards.
Bollards are the perfect way to market your products and services. Are you running some specials and promotions? Do you want to promote your stunning black Friday or festive deals? Bollards will always be especially suited for promoting products and services.
An additional perk is that bollards are double-sided. This means that if your product promotion spans around the front and back of the bollard it will grab people’s attention from both sides. So, with bollards being used for marketing there is surely no way you can fail.
Bollards Available At Streetscape
Bollards do not have to stick to the aesthetic of plain concrete. However, just because we have been talking about concrete bollards does not necessarily mean that the bollard will have to have a stoney concrete exterior. Even though you may like the more stoney exterior, there are dozens of options when it comes to decorating your bollards.
Most bollards have a concrete filling. Bollards are typically filled with concrete on the inside so the pole which is in the middle can be planted into the ground securely and steadily. This is where the bollard gets its strength and thus its ability to endure violent impacts.
Bollards can be fabricated in various ways. There is not only one material that bollards can be made of, it just depends on the purpose they will serve. So, if we are looking at the bollards and barriers and their purpose at Formula One, we may place concrete barriers with a cement or stone exterior due to the high speed of the cars.
At StreetScape, our main concern is our customers. Therefore, we make your safety our top priority. So, we can guarantee that we will provide you with the best and most effective concrete bollards. If you would like an introduction to our products and services, take a look at this short list of some of the bollards we have available.
First up we have the Bloc 220 Bollards. This bollard is of better use in regular public spaces such as parks and schools, however, they may be a little too weak to handle a collision with a Formula One car. The Bloc 220 Concrete Bollards have a 900 mm height, meaning the vehicles would quickly flip over the bollards upon collision rather than being blocked.
Dome Bollards are short but mighty posts. Their thick diameter and heavy weight make them perfect for head-on collisions. They ensure that the people are kept safe and sound from fast-running cars nearby.
You may also like to place bollards with railings. Therefore, we have the Fence Rail Bollards which are rather taller than other bollards however they weigh a little less than others. These bollards are perfect for crowd and car separation due to the railings between the bollards. Spectators are kept safe from potentially colliding cars.
About StreetScape
Formula One is a motorsport with style. The cars look fierce and the drivers dashing. Thus, if the sport were to ever make its way to South Africa, there would be no company better suited for them regarding the provisions of concrete bollards.
We at StreetScape keep ourselves up-to-date with modern designs. Not only do we provide you with functional and invitational landscaping elements, we strive for aesthetics and style as well when it comes to our supplies. We do nationwide deliveries, meaning we can supply landscaping elements to the entirety of South Africa!
Let StreetScape cater to all of your landscaping needs. Be speedy like Schumacher and go check out our website if you would like to be provided with high-quality products and reliable services.