Bollards and anti-parking posts

Bollards and anti-parking posts for the public realm

Bollards and street posts are what you use to guide, block or mark off traffic without installing a full barrier. They keep cars off a footpath, a square or a cycle link, they protect a facade or a terrace, and they mark the line between where you drive and where you walk. Because they stand in full view, they also determine how well kept a public space looks.

Buyers are municipalities and cities, road authorities, developers and companies with their own site or car park. We supply both the plain, functional versions and posts that suit a historic centre or a redesigned square, and we think along with you about where a fixed post belongs and where a folding or removable version is needed.

Applications

• Keeping footpaths and squares free of parked vehicles
• Closing cycle links and cycle streets to motorised traffic
• Controlling access to a pedestrian shopping area outside delivery hours
• Protecting facades, corners, loading bays and service cabinets against impact
• Marking out terraces, planted areas and play zones

Versions

Fixed posts are set in concrete or anchored on a base plate and are the simplest and strongest solution wherever no vehicle should ever pass. Folding posts tilt to the ground with a lock and are the standard at entrances that only need to open for emergency services, suppliers or maintenance teams. Removable posts are lifted out of a ground socket with a key and stored away, which is convenient for markets and events.

Material and finish

The usual materials are hot-dip galvanised steel, powder-coated steel, cast iron, stainless steel and timber. Galvanised and powder-coated steel is the workhorse: low maintenance and available in any colour. Cast iron is chosen in historic centres for its profile and decorative heads. Stainless steel gives a clean, modern look but needs regular cleaning to prevent staining. Timber suits parks and green zones but has a shorter service life.

Reflective bands or strips are worth specifying on every post that stands near moving traffic in the dark. It is a small detail with a large effect on safety.

Installation and practice

The spacing between posts decides whether they do what you want. Too wide and a car still squeezes through; too narrow and a wheelchair, a pram or a cargo bike cannot get past. So set the spacing from the users who do need to pass. Keep blind and partially sighted people in mind as well: a low post in the middle of a walking line is a trip hazard unless it contrasts strongly and can be detected with a cane.

When posts are not the right answer

If you want to make a zone completely inaccessible to vehicles of any size, a fence, a gate or a retractable bollard is the better choice. Where vehicles manoeuvre regularly and impacts are unavoidable, a flexible post or an impact barrier makes more sense than a rigid post that has to be replaced every time. The classic mistake is installing posts to solve a behavioural problem without measuring the clearance left for pedestrians and cyclists.

What determines the price?

The price follows from the material and diameter, the height, the version - fixed, folding or removable -, the finish and colour, decorative elements and reflection, the locking, the fixing method and the matching ground sockets or base plates. Quantity plays a part, as do transport and any installation. Tell us the situation and the number of posts, and we will put a concrete proposal together.

Looking at your streetscape together

Tell us what you want to keep out and what still has to get through. We will propose a post type, a spacing and a finish that suits the location. Get in touch for advice and a quotation.