Bollard Installation in San Antonio, TX

Bollard Installation

Do you need to keep a small area safe from moving vehicles? Maybe you have a parking garage or a sidewalk that isn’t clearly visible. Or perhaps your box truck drivers keep hitting the wall to the garage when they’re backing up. Bollards are great tools that keep structures and pedestrians safe from cars and trucks that are expected to move in many directions.

​A strategic bollard installation is pivotal to a safe driveway or parking lot, but all safety measures have standards. By following a few guidelines, you can protect your property and guests from easily preventable incidents.

What is a Bollard?

Bollards are usually made of steel or concrete. They are brightly colored pillars that are placed in front of high-risk areas in your parking lots and driveways. You have probably seen them at drive-thru areas protecting the roof columns. That’s right. Some of these stone fences are the only barrier between your several ton car and the pillars that are supporting the entire weight of a structure. You might also find these short columns in front of generators, along sidewalks, or next to garages to control traffic away from fragile and dangerous zones.

Installing a Bollard Takes Time and is Best Done by a Professional

Installing a bollard involves digging a hole in the ground, putting a placeholder for a tube in the hole, then filling the area surrounding the placeholder with cement. A bollard is then placed in the placeholder and filled with more concrete to hold it in. Some of these posts need to withstand semi-trucks, so a careful installation will help reinforce their strength

How Tall Should Bollards Be?

A bollard can come in many different sizes, but the heights usually fall between 30 and 48 inches. Because the average car is usually no higher than 5 feet, 36” bollards are usually sufficient for driveways and parking lots with average traffic volumes. Three feet is usually high enough for drivers to see before any possible collision. However, if a safety inspector suggests a higher bollard, it would be in your best interest to follow their suggestion.

If your parking lot or driveway is home to many large vehicles like semi-trucks, you will want to consider wider bollards. A wide bollard has more mass and density to withstand larger amounts of weight. You will also want to be sure that these are permanent bollards that are embedded into the earth.

How Far Apart Should Bollards Be?

​Depending on where the bollards are located, the distance between bollards should be wide enough for people and very small vehicles like bikes to pass through, but narrow enough to stop cars and trucks from entering. The recommended distance between bollards is 3 feet minimum. This allows enough space for people with handicaps to pass through without much trouble.

The maximum width allowed for bollards is 5 feet, which is the minimum width of a car or truck.
Bollards are a great way to keep your building and nearby pedestrians safe. By carefully placing permanent or temporary posts around high-risk zones you are creating the front-line defense against a bad situation.

​These cement posts could be the only thing standing between a negligible accident and a full-blown structural catastrophe.

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