Operating a Processing and Manufacturing Facility

Bollards: The Versatile Street Furniture

2 May 2017 by Todd West

Modern street furniture comes in many forms and is now more versatile than it ever used to be. For example, lighting columns can be dropped down so operatives can access their fittings easily. There again, modular street seating is now often made to be arranged in various orientations, such as semi-circles and L-shapes so that it can be used in a variety of urban settings, from plazas to city parks. However, one of the most versatile types of street furniture that you could come across is the humble bollard. This feature of nearly all Australian towns and cities is a simple technology, but there is much more to contemporary ones than perhaps you knew…

Moveable Bollards

In the past, bollards tended to be dropped into the ground and fixed in position by pouring concrete over their bases. This approach is still used but lots of other options are available, too. For example, tamper-proof bolt down bollards are often used in situations where they might need to be moved a few times a year to allow for temporary access. Equally, retracting bollards are now relatively commonplace where certain vehicles are allowed to pass regularly, such as refuse trucks and buses, but where the public may not take their cars.

Finishes

Usually made as heavy duty items which are designed to deal with accidental impacts from vehicles, bollards can come across a eyesores if they are not chosen for their aesthetic design appeal. In European cities, such as London, they are frequently painted black so that they 'blend in' with the rest of the urban environment. However, finishes that are colourful in appearance are more commonplace in the southern hemisphere. Powder coating is a preferred method of finishing bollards in bright reds, greens and yellows because it is highly durable and provides a consistency of finish. Indeed, by powdercoating bollards you are able to produce something that will stand out visually, thus assisting drivers by being more noticeable. By finishing them with powder coating you can either assist the overall design of the landscape architecture by coordinating your colour palette or provide a distinct look, ideal for areas where public safety is a concern.

Shapes and Sizes

Although bulkier bollards tend to be manufactured from cast iron or steel and are heavy, less common smaller castings and even one-off designs are possible in certain situations. Bollard fabricators can easily include crescents and civic symbols into their processes, depending on the sort of project they might be ordered for to make the street furniture more individual. In addition, bollards are increasingly made from extruded materials, like aluminium, which means they can be produced quickly can cheaply by simply being cut to size.

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