- High street shop front, for example a jewellers
- A non-high street restaurant
- A logistics shipping company with a large warehouse
- A small ecommerce firm with a small warehouse
In our last blog post (an introduction to bollards for businesses) we looked at the five major considerations when purchasing bollards, those are: use of bollard, access requirements, location, material and cost. These are the main considerations we're going to take into account with our select businesses.
So let's get started.
Which bollard for a jewellers on a high street with traffic?
Use of the bollard - what exactly is the bollard protecting? Under these circumstances the bollard is to be located in front of a shop which could be seen as high risk with plenty of valuables, as such the bollard needs to protect against ram-raiding, that is would-be thieves crashing a vehicle through the shop front and making-off with your goods.
Access requirements - Generally speaking, most shop fronts won't require removable bollards and when it comes to a jewellers or other shops with high value items, telescopic or folding bollards wouldn't be recommended, as such a static bollard will be best.
Material - Referring back to the location, as we're going for a clean look to fit in with the environment, a stainless steel would be recommended.
Cost - When it comes to cost, for a stainless steel anti-ram bollard we aren't going to be looking at the lower end, it would be worth investing here for longevity and peace of mind.
Our opinion - Chichester Stainless Steel Anti Ram Bollard - Depending on the size you choose, pricing starts at £330.10 for the 101mm dome or mitre to £377.30 for the 114mm version. This particular model of the Chichester has a strong inner core manufactured with galvanised steel and was specifically designed to offer heavy duty protection under circumstances such as these.
So how about a restaurant car park?
Use of bollard - So under these circumstances, the restaurant is looking to secure their car park over night, as well as adding in traffic calming measures around the car park. Now we need to treat these as two separate puzzles.
Access requirements - Looking at the first puzzle - the car park only needs to be secured at night when the restaurant is closed, as such the bollard needs to be removable as and when required. Secondly, the traffic calming bollard can be smaller and static meaning not removable, as they aren't there to provide occasional or constant access.
Location - Here we're dealing with two different locations, the first being the entrance to the car park where access will be required throughout the day and the second being around the car park to calm traffic and prevent accidents.
Material - In terms of securing the car park when the restaurant is closed a stainless steel or black and yellow bollard could be best for you. However when looking at traffic calming measures around the car park I would recommend recycled plastic or rubber to reduce overall costs as well as helping the environment.
Cost - Removable bollards start from £358 and can go up from there, especially if you were to look at key fob operated or telescopic bollards, however under these circumstances these more than likely wouldn't be required. Recycled rubber bollards start from only £98.30.
Our opinion - We'd take a look at the Removable Chichester Stainless Steel Bollard, with the triangular lock, it is designed to be removed quickly and efficiently, standing 900mm above ground and 300mm below. Versatile, the Chichester removable provides vehicle access as and when required.
Secondly, we'd recommend the Berkley recycled rubber bollard which is moulded around a steel core with either a mitre or pyramid head, this bollard is cost effective and allows for great traffic calming as well as segregation where required.
Okay, so now let's talk about a logistics firm with a large warehouse
Use of bollard - Here we will be looking to address various protection factors. First and foremost, the people, that being our own staff, visitors and members of the public who may wander in unexpectedly. We're then looking to protect our assets, including stock and equipment such as forklifts, and premises.
Access requirements - Under these circumstances, the bollards don't need to provide any access, as such static bollards are most suitable.
Location - We're in a high-traffic area with loading bays, forklifts, and people moving around at all times. The bollards are to be located at loading bays in particular as well as at the site entrances and ensuring pedestrian only zones.
Material - We're going to be looking for something very strong here, either a steel construction or steel core. We also need it to be highly visible and to stand out against its surroundings as such stainless steel wouldn't be suitable. Black and yellow would be the most suitable.
Cost - A larger firm will need to invest in multiple bollards, ensuring that they're of a high quality. By investing more at an earlier stage we would be looking at reducing longer term costs of replacing bollards.
Our opinion - Based on these factors, especially that we are looking at a high traffic area, we would recommend the Black Bull Flex Heavy Duty Bollard as it is designed for exactly these purposes. When struck the bollard will give up to 25 degrees and return to its original position. This bollard will help prevent excessive and unnecessary damage to both equipment and the bollard itself if an accident should occur, increasing the lifespan of the bollard.
Finally, how about a small ecommerce business with a small warehouse?
Use of bollard - A small firm with less than ten employees, here we aren't dealing with forklifts but we do have a large roller door where deliveries arrive, as such the bollards must protect this door from potentially being struck by a delivery truck reversing too close (unfortunately I've seen this happen and it can be both expensive to repair and incredibly inconvenient with regards to security). As we aren't dealing with forklifts, internal bollards are unlikely to be required.
Access requirements - The bollards are to be positioned one at either side of the roller door, as such access won't be required and static bollards would be suitable.
Location - The bollards will be located outdoors to protect the building itself as well as staff accepting deliveries. Here we will be looking at a medium-traffic area, with vans ranging from a transit up to a 7.5tonner.
Material - A strong metal construction will be required here, the bollard must also be highly visible to drivers and pedestrians.
Cost - For a business like this one we'd expect to be paying between £124-£250 per bollard depending on the size required, if for example you only need to protect against smaller impacts then you can look to the lower end of the spectrum.
Our opinion - So for our final view on bollards today, depending on if our small ecommerce firm will be dealing with smaller or larger vehicles we'd recommend one of our static Black Bull bollards, either Small of Large designed for both indoor and outdoor use and constructed with top grade steel and hot dip galvanised with a powder coat for protection against rust and corrosion. Finally, the bright contrasting colours help ensure visibility .
To sum up...
In this post we've explored four different businesses and the possible requirements those businesses may need to take into consideration. We've applied our framework and shown how it can be used in reality:
- Use of bollard
- Access requirements
- Location
- Materials
- Cost and budget
We'll have more on bollards and traffic management for you very soon!
Danny
