1. Understanding the different types of bollards

The various types of bollards provide different levels of protection that are suited to specific situations. These include:

Traffic bollards

Traffic bollards are often used to segregate lines of traffic, especially around roadworks or other types of construction work. Highly visible and often temporary, these bollards can help guide drivers towards designated lanes.

Pedestrian bollards

Pedestrian bollards are used to designate clear areas that are for foot traffic only. These bollards are often placed in areas where pedestrians come into close contact with busy lines of traffic or other possible dangers.

Security bollards

Security bollards function in much the same way as traffic bollards, by segregating traffic from pedestrians. However, they are reinforced and often provide a greater level of protection in the event of a vehicle collision.

Heavy-duty ‘ram raid’ bollards

Performing a similar function to security bollards, these heavy-duty versions are made specifically to prevent vehicles from causing damage or gaining access to highly valuable or secure locations. These can often be found lining the pavement in front of banks, jewellery stores, shopping centres, etc.

2. Bollard materials: iron, steel, concrete and polymer

Bollards can be made from a variety of materials, with some better suited to certain applications than others.

Iron bollards

Traditional bollards were often made with cast iron. This robust and durable material made them a practical choice, while also allowing for more decorative designs than steel or concrete bollards. The bollards are occasionally a cast iron cover over a steel or concrete post.

Steel bollards

Steel safety bollards can refer to a variety of stainless-steel uprights and metal posts. They often provide protection from vehicles in addition to segregating walkways and prohibiting vehicle access. They are weather-resistant, which makes them useful for long-term outdoor use. Some of these bollards feature a concrete core.  

Temporary steel bollards can be removed or lowered to allow access (telescopic bollards), while others are a permanent fixture. Permanent steel bollards tend to be bolted to the floor or secured with concrete.  

Concrete bollards

Concrete bollards tend to be found outdoors. They usually take the form of large concrete blocks. They provide robust protection from impacts involving vehicles and are often found in public places with a high volume of pedestrians as a means of protection in the event of traffic accidents or terrorist attacks.

Polymer bollards

Polymer bollards are a more lightweight and flexible alternative to the solid structures of steel and concrete bollards. The polymer plastic material offers a flexibility that isn’t possible with steel or concrete, this allows the bollard to bend on impact and return to its original shape.  

These are ideal for providing protection from industrial vehicles, such as forklift trucks. Alternatively, they can provide protection in areas where road vehicles (cars, lorries, etc.) are moving at slow speeds, such as car parks, airports and loading docks or bays. These are often permeant fixtures though removeable options are available.  

Standard bollards and heavy-duty bollards

Regardless of the material they are made from, bollards usually come in two different varieties.

Standard bollards

This refers to bollards that are expected to handle smaller-scale impacts, such as those found in car parks. As the speeds of nearby vehicles are likely to be slower, the force of impact on the bollard will be much smaller. Therefore, standard bollards should hold up to this sort of incident with only minor scrapes or scuffs to the surface.

Heavy-duty bollards

As the name suggests, these types of bollard are used more frequently in areas where vehicle impacts are likely to have more force behind them, either as a result of increased speed or weight.  

Industrial settings like factories or warehouses use materials handling vehicles such as forklift trucks and side-loaders. These types of vehicle are denser than cars, with much more weight behind them. In the event of an impact, they are likely to do more damage even at slow speeds. Heavy-duty bollards provide a more robust level of protection against the extreme forces of such impacts.  

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If you’re looking for effective and affordable bollard protection, A-SAFE polymer bollards provide robust, long-lasting defence in busy industrial settings. To find out more about how they work, speak to a member of the A-SAFE team.