What is a Bollard?

Bollards are short, sturdy, vertical posts. The term was originally used to describe a post on a ship. These posts or quay were used in mooring boats but the application of the term has since then evolved greatly. A bollard can also mean posts installed that help control road traffic and prevent vehicle ramming attacks, called ram raids. Bollards can be used to serve dual purposes like preventing car trespassing from a particular property and also provide an aesthetic beautiful look to a home if applied.

The term is speculated to be related to the word bole, which means tree trunk. This may be synonymous with bollards being immovable and rooted to a spot. An early reference of this word was in the Oxford English dictionary around 1844 which described bollards as huge posts, although some versions have just described it as simply posts. They can also protect properties from damages from an out of control car for instance. These posts actively serve to protect your perimeter and property from harm at best.

Listed below are the common purposes of bollards.

  • Pedestrian Guides: These bollards are placed to guide pedestrians so they know which road is designated to them and where to walk in. These types also part decorative purposes and keep traffic out of whatever area they are applied in.

  • Security Bollards: These types of bollards are installed for security purposes. They help prevent smash and grab type of robberies where a car can smash into a store and make it easy for the contents to be carted out with little interference. Installing these security bollards serve as an anti-theft mechanism. They prevent vehicle access to your storefront by stopping them in their tracks. Also, in very extreme and rare cases, they are used in high-security areas to protect and prevent terrorist attacks.

  • Safety Bollards: These bollards are mainly used to protect a store from lower impact damages than storefront crashes.

  • Protection for Components of a Building: In quite a lot of cases, bollards are usually erected to safeguard against components of a building. They are designed with a specialized nature to precisely protect against accidents. Things like water meters or electric boxes are often guarded by bollards.

  • Other types and functions such as asset protection, bicycle protection, and security can all be done by bollard installation.

How Tall Should Bollards Be?

A bollard's height should be just right so that it remains effective but does not hinder your view of the property or item by which it is installed to protect. The height of a bollard should be around 3-4 feet tall.

How Far Apart Should Bollards Be?

Bollards are typically meant to hinder anything more than a pedestrian or wheelchair from going through them. They should be spaced 3 to 5 feet apart from each other.
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