Bollards were originally created in the 19th century, they were purpose-built to solve all manner of traffic management issues, mainly for ship use. Today, bollards are short posts that can be used as a type of protection. Mainly, they are ideal for vehicle prevention and protection of buildings and pedestrians. When installed they can help has visual guides to show members of the public where they can and cannot go. Surface-mounted bollards are bolted to the concrete through a base plate.
Versatility & Benefits
There are quite a few types of bollards you can have, all with similar needs. Pedestrian guide bollards are almost purely decorative and are meant as a guide for pedestrians so they know which lanes were designated for them to walk in. They also help to keep traffic out of those spaces.
To help prevent stores from “smash and grab” burglaries, where a heavy vehicle smashes through a window of a shop and items can be looted in a short period of time, you can install security bollards. While the decorative bollards mentioned above are used to visually identify specific areas, theft protection bollards are designed to prevent vehicle access to an area. In more extreme cases, too, they protect against terrorist attacks in high security areas. That’s why they must be stronger and more efficient.
In many cases, bollards can be designed that will specifically be placed near a vulnerable gas or water meter, for example, to protect against accidents.
Bollards can be installed inside stores to be used on the corners of refrigeration units, ATMs, or retail shelving. The goal is to alert the customers of potential dangers and protect against carts or hand-powered cleaning equipment.