How security bollards improve safety and security in shopping centres

Security bollards have a broad range of applications in large areas, both in terms of protection and convenience. This is especially evident in shopping centres, where they can be used for traffic calming, demarcation and more. The January sales are an exceptionally busy time for many shopping centres, and it’s a time where properties who’ve invested in security bollards tend to see the benefits most clearly. Here are some of the applications they’re most often used for, and why it might be worth investing in them for the year ahead!

Security bollards for cars and traffic

Well-placed bollards make for imposing barriers and obstacles for motorists, giving them a versatile range of uses in encouraging and reinforcing sensible driving behaviours. Amongst their many applications are:

Traffic calming

Some motorists can end up travelling at unwise speeds through shopping centre premises, whether through conscious choice or not. This can be incredibly dangerous, given that shoppers (and children) are often crossing roads and car parks at unpredictable points, which mean these drivers are giving themselves less time to react.

What’s more, if two vehicles travelling too fast meet each other at a blind spot – say, a corner – a crash is more or less inevitable. Security bollards are therefore invaluable as traffic calming measures, as they encourage their drivers to keep speeds down to manageable levels.

Fuel pump protection for on-site petrol stations

It’s particularly important to physically protect fuel pumps, as the outcome of a crash is (at best) considerably expensive. What’s more, spilled fuel can be volatile, making the safety aspect all the more critical. While the chances of someone colliding with a fuel pump are reasonably small, it’s still a good idea to firmly guarantee their safety (and that of the people around them) with additions such as hoop barriers. The safety benefits will be especially useful at peak times!

Demarcation to prevent overparking

Besides the safety benefits, a useful secondary property of bollards is that they can be used to clearly denote the limits of your space, so that customers know where it’s acceptable to park. Demarcation using bollards does a great job of effectively indicating the boundaries of your space to customers, so that they’re not spilling over into private car parks, or blocking areas which need constant access.

Protection from crime and terrorism

This is a rather more extreme concern than the other considerations we’ve covered so far, but the sad fact is that crowded shopping centres are sometimes targeted by criminals, either for the value of the items inside them, or the sheer potential of carnage to cause. Heavy bollards such as our HMV bollards provide excellent protection from ram-raiding attacks from vehicles, and – from the other side – can be equally helpful in making it vastly more difficult for thieves to make their getaway.

The uses of bollards for protecting cyclists and pedestrians

Cordoning off pedestrian areas and trolley bays

This is related to the traffic calming measures we’ve already covered above. Hoop bollards in particular often find excellent uses in demarcation and physical protection of trolley bays and pedestrian walkways, indicating to both drivers and the pedestrians themselves where they should be travelling. This helps drivers and pedestrians to better predict each others’ actions, and exactly where they’ll be coming into contact with each other, increasing safety and security for everyone.

Fixed or removable cycle stands

These serve as less of a protection feature and more as one of convenience as far as shopping centres are concerned, making it easier for customers without vehicles to access the premises. This is not only useful for customers, but ultimately means that the shopping centres themselves feel the bonuses, as they’re getting the benefit of the extra custom.

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but should give you an excellent idea of how versatile and useful security bollards can be in shopping centres. Here at Bollard Security, we stock an expansive range of parking bollards, telescopic bollards and parking posts for you to choose from. If you’re having trouble settling on exactly which ones would be best suited to your premises, our experts are only too happy to advise – just give us a call on 01756 636 196.