What Are Bollards?
Bollards are small vertical posts, generally made from wood, concrete, metal, stone, or even plastic, that are used to create a protective boundary or architectural perimeter. They serve as visual boundary indicators, helping to guide both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. They are a sort of security measure that prevents the collisions of cars against property and pedestrians. However, bollards can also be used in a more decorative way, enhancing the landscape by bringing a new style to the space, while still providing a practical function; if you’d like to know more about bollards’ uses, particularly for marathons, then read this article.
The Function of Bollards
Streetscape’s bollards’ main usage is resistance to harsh impacts. If a large truck veers off of the road and towards the sidewalk, this creates a high risk of the property being badly damaged and civilians being injured. Yet, when bollards are placed strategically along the side of the road, there is a much lower chance of a destructive accident causing major consequences. But more than that, bollards are more versatile than you might think. They also have applications in many different events, including sporting events, concerts, markets, roadshows and public gatherings of all kinds.
By regulating traffic volumes in outdoor spaces, bollards help to prevent drivers, pedestrians and cyclists from weaving dangerously through small roads where events and public assemblies are taking place. This, in turn, increases safety and allows for better, more controlled use of public space. When bollards are installed in close succession to each other around a small area, they prevent cars from entering closed-off areas so that pedestrians can roam the streets safely. When they are installed with wide gaps in between them, then they allow for cyclists to pass through them easily, while still minimising vehicular traffic.
Certain bollards are permanent, while others are removable and collapsible. Regardless of the type of bollard that you choose to invest in for traffic management, each type provides high impact resistance. Collapsible bollards, however, are particularly useful for specific events that are being held temporarily. Examples of the kind of events that might require bollards are listed below.
Applications for Bollards
Food Markets
Food markets are a great way for local vendors to sell their products and connect with a broader network of customers. What’s more, they are also a massive source of income and they can be a great point of interest for tourists and locals alike. Food markets always have an impeccable vibe, with the smell of good food wafting through the air, drinks being shared amongst friends, and families enjoying a hearty variety of meals together. However, food markets can also become incredibly busy and somewhat stifling if they are not managed carefully – this is why it is important to have bollards to improve the flow of traffic and prevent cars from entering and monopolising the space.
Flea Markets
Flea markets are another great way for business owners to sell their products, and these events are always exciting for small-time thrift enthusiasts and antique hobbyists to source good deals and treasures. Most flea markets pop up weekly, and there is always a dedicated space for locals to set up shop and prepare for a day of selling and socialising. In these scenarios, it’s always necessary to use bollards to mark off parking spaces and set the perimeter clearly. When the shoppers start to go home, and the shopkeepers begin to collapse their stalls, the bollards can easily be removed and stored until the following week’s festivities.
Street Festivals
Street festivals always happen during December, as the Summer sun begins to shine and people leave their houses looking for entertainment and a good time. Since these festivals are more irregular and seasonal, it wouldn’t make sense to install permanent bollards, as this would make the space unusable during the rest of the year. Hence, collapsible bollards always prove useful as temporary boundary enforcers and visual traffic guides that can protect pedestrians and property.
Athletic Events
Rugby games, soccer games, tennis matches, triathlons, skate competitions, surfing competitions and other sporting events are always massive drawcards for locals and tourists. Especially during the Spring and Summer seasons, you’ll notice a lot more marathons and sporting events being scheduled, and this will have big logistical implications in terms of the provision of stadium parking facilities. In these scenarios, visitors will flock to the venue and high volumes of cars will start to pile up – but there is a way to prevent people from doing illegal parking. Collapsible bollards would be useful here because they can help to prevent people from double parking, going onto curbs and recking people’s grass verges.
Concerts
Concerts, especially, face terrible problems of congestion. What’s worse, since most concerts happen in remote or obscure locations in order to provide a larger venue capacity, there is always the concern that parking becomes nightmarish and it becomes dangerous even to navigate your way around the lot. In these scenarios, collapsible bollards are perfect solutions, as they easily help to protect the site and bring order to the parking lot.
Marathons
In most marathons, roads are blocked off to make space for the large masses of runners who are taking to the streets to challenge themselves and run until the finish line. When you’re running between 5 and 45 kilometres, you don’t want to be worried about anything besides your breathing, your hydration levels and your stride, let alone cars hitting you or impatient drivers honking at you. This is why it’s so important to have the right precautionary safety measures and bollards in place to protect contestants and avoid injuries, accidents or emergencies. Bollards prevent reckless and or distracted drivers from veering into the racing lane and hurting road runners while they push on towards the finish line.
The Importance of Safety Measures at Marathons
Some of the following races are coming up in South Africa, and in all of these events, it is highly likely that protection measures such as bollards will be utilised. In each of these events, there is a massive amount of logistical planning involved, and event managers and site security will have to do their utmost best to ensure that nobody gets hurt and the site stays under control. With Streetscape’s bollards to help, these marathons will run smoothly and nobody will be at risk of injury, nor will property damage be a threat.
Upcoming marathons in South Africa According to RoadRunning Race Calender
- Annual Tzaneen Spring Opening in Tzaneen in Limpopo, Saturday 27 August 2022 07h00
- Annual Comrades Marathon in Durban KwaZulu Natal, Sunday 28 August 2022 05h30
- Annual Kragbron Nite Race in Emalahleni Mpumalanga, Wednesday 31 August 2022 19h00
- Annual Food Lover’s Market Tekkie Challenge in Kuilsrivier Western Cape, Saturday 3 September 2022 07h00
- Annual Khayelitsha AC Race in Khayelitsha Western Cape, Sunday 4 September 2022 07h30
- Annual Sportsmans Warehouse Road Race in Gqeberha Eastern Cape, Saturday 10 September 2022 06h30
- Annual Chappies Challenge in Hout Bay Western Cape, Sunday 11 September 2022 07h00
- Annual GBS Mutual Bank Mountain Drive Half in Makhanda Eastern Cape, Saturday 17 September 2022 06h00
- Annual Gun Run in Cape Town Western Cape, Sunday 18 September 2022 06h30
- Annual NANTES AC UNITE Race in Cape Town Western Cape, Saturday 24 September 2022 07h10
- Annual Absa RUN YOUR CITY Joburg 10k in Johannesburg Gauteng Province, Saturday 24 September 2022 08h00
- Annual Goodwood Harriers 10km Run Walk Challenge in Goodwood Western Cape, Sunday 25 September 2022 06h45
- Annual Pineapple Run in Port Alfer Eastern Cape, Saturday 1 October 2022 07h00
- Annual Diamond Marathon in Kimberly Northern Cape, Saturday 01 October 2022 06h00
- Annual Zakhele Flat and Fast in Durban KwaZulu Natal, Saturday 08 October 2022 06h00
- Annual Fat Cats 10k race in Midrand Gauteng Province, Sunday 9 October 2022 07h00
- Annual Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in Cape Town Western Cape, Sunday 16 October 2022 06h15
- Annual Ceres Mitchell’s Pass Half Marathon in Ceres Western Cape 2022, Saturday 29 October 2022 07h00
- Annual Tembisa Mile in Johannesburg Gauteng Province, Sunday 30 October 2022 08h45
Tips For Marathon Runners
Keep A Kit
Plan what you’ll need with you the night before. This may include your water bottle, sunglasses, muscle straps, sunscreen, headband and active wear. Put everything into a backpack or fanny pack that’s easy to carry. When you arrive at the race venue, look out for the blocked-off area and find an official employee or safety officer who can inform you as to whether there’s an area where you can keep your valuables safely.
Familiarise Yourself With the Bathroom Facilities
There’s nothing worse than exercising and exerting yourself when you desperately need to use the bathroom. To avoid this, find the available public bathrooms before you start the race. That way, you can avoid wasting time during the race looking for a loo.
Check Out The Route Beforehand
It’s always easier to run a trail or route if you’ve done it before. By scoping out the route beforehand, you’ll give yourself an advantage over other competitors and you’ll likely run faster and easier too. What’s more, preparing like this can help keep your nerves and anxieties at bay so that you can just enjoy the race. Mapping it out on Google Maps is a good idea, but doing it in person is even better.
Check Out The Weather Beforehand
If you’ve been training for a while, then you’re probably comfortable with running in any weather. Wind, rain or sun, most runners can easily adjust to the fluctuating conditions so long as the trail remains clearly signed and managed. However, it’s always best to stay as prepared as possible to prevent unwelcomely surprised, so it’s a good idea to consult your weather apps and determine how the forecasted conditions might affect your pace. Thereafter, you can adjust your activewear accordingly, so that you don’t get too cold or too hot during the day.
Don’t Forget To Warm Up
This is a particularly important point to make, as endurance marathons can be particularly gruelling and taxing on your joints and muscles. By warming up, investing in a sports massage or even consulting a sports massage therapist beforehand, you lessen the risk of getting an injury. If you just arrive and then immediately push your limits, you’re far more likely to burn out before the finish line and even hurt yourself long-term. Warming up AND warming down are the best mitigation strategies to prevent health hazards.
Stay Hydrated
It’s always a good idea to drink at least 2 litres of water, regardless of whether you’re running a marathon or not. But during an endurance run, it is especially important to top up on drinks and food at least 45 minutes before you start the race. This allows your body to absorb maximum nourishment beforehand so that your tank is full when the race begins.
Look Out For The Signage and The Bollards
If you start lagging behind the other runners on race day, then you can find guidance by simply looking out for signage. By following the signs, you can easily stay on route and prevent getting lost. Similarly, there will likely be bollards installed all over the place to keep you from wandering into the road. These bollards will also provide protection from cars and traffic, so don’t panic about your safety.
Buy Streetscape Bollards Today
If you’re interested in investing in bollards to help you manage traffic at a sporting event such as a marathon, then call Streetscape today. Streetscape offers quality bollards at competitive prices in a variety of styles and colours. Removable and static bollards are available on the website, and they will prove useful in many different ways.