The Purpose of Bollards on a Commercial Property

The purpose of bollards is to keep vehicles out of places they should not be. A bollard is a short, sturdy post that stops, slows or steers a vehicle away from storefront glass, gas meters, loading docks, chargers and walkways. Some bollards only mark a boundary, while others are built to take an impact, so the purpose depends on how the post is made and how it is set.

The purpose of bollards: what a bollard is and what it does

A bollard is a short, sturdy post fixed in or on the ground. The word started in shipping, where posts on a dock hold mooring lines. On a commercial property it means any post that controls where vehicles and people can go.

Most bollards do one of four jobs.

• Stop or slow a vehicle. A steel post set in a concrete footing can block or deflect a car that drifts toward a wall, door or fuel point.
• Protect fragile or costly things. Glass, gas meters, electrical gear, cash machines and chargers are easy to damage and expensive or dangerous to lose.
• Separate people from traffic. A line of posts shows drivers where the vehicle route ends and the walkway starts.
• Control access. Fixed posts close a gap for good. Removable posts close it until you remove them for a delivery, an event or the snow crew.

How well a post does the first job depends on how it is built and set. A thick steel pipe in a concrete footing and a plastic cover on a thin sleeve are not the same product. The guide to commercial bollard types covers the options in detail.

Where bollards earn their place on a commercial site

Look for places where a vehicle can reach something that should not be reached. Those are the spots bollards usually protect.

Storefront glass and building corners

Head-in parking puts the nose of a vehicle a few metres from glass. A driver who presses the accelerator instead of the brake, or a vehicle that rolls on a slope, can end up inside the unit. Posts between the stalls and the wall give the vehicle something to hit first. Building corners beside drive aisles get clipped by turning trucks and are another usual spot.

Gas meters, electrical equipment and cash machines

Meters, regulators, transformers and cash machines often sit at the edge of a drive aisle. A hit can wreck the equipment and, with gas, create a safety problem. Ask your gas supplier what protection it expects at meters in vehicle areas before you decide what to install.

Drive-through lanes and loading docks

Drive-through lanes bring vehicles close to windows, menu boards and staff. Loading docks mix trucks, forklifts and people on foot. Posts mark the edge of the lane, protect door frames and keep reversing vehicles off the walkway. The guides to drive-through bollards and loading dock bollard protection go further.

Chargers and pedestrian routes

Electric vehicle chargers, bike racks and entrance walkways sit at the front of a stall or beside a drive aisle. A post or two stops a vehicle pulling too far forward. Where a walkway crosses a drive aisle, posts show drivers the edge of the pedestrian space.

Bollards in security and in construction: what the terms mean

The word shifts a little with the context.

In security, a bollard is a vehicle barrier. The job is to keep a vehicle away from people or a building, whether the driver is careless or hostile. Security-grade bollards are engineered and tested to take a defined impact, and the test report matters as much as the post.

In construction, a bollard is a post set in a footing or bolted to a slab. On most commercial sites that means a steel pipe filled with concrete and set in a concrete footing. It can also mean something much lighter, such as a flexible plastic post that marks a lane edge.

So the word covers everything from a post that marks a boundary to a post built to stop a truck. When someone says the site needs bollards, ask what the post has to do. The answer decides the size, the footing and the price.

What bollards cannot do

A bollard only works where a vehicle actually meets it. Three limits are worth knowing.

• A marker is not a barrier. Flexible posts, plastic covers and many decorative posts guide drivers but will not stop a moving vehicle.
• Gaps matter. Posts spaced too wide let a vehicle through. Posts spaced too tight block wheelchairs, strollers and snow equipment. The bollard spacing guide explains how to set the gap.
• Posts do not fix a bad layout. A long, straight run at the front doors may need a layout change or speed control as well as posts.

No single rule says every Ontario property must have bollards. The requirement comes from specific situations: your gas supplier, workplace safety rules, fire access, your insurer and any conditions your municipality sets on the site. Ontario's Regulation 851 for industrial establishments, for example, expects employers to protect workers from vehicle traffic with controls such as barriers, warning signs or other safeguards. Check with the authority that applies to your site.

Does your entrance, drive-through or dock need bollards?

Walk the site and answer these questions. Every yes strengthens the case for posts.

1. Can a vehicle drive straight at glass, a door or a corner with room to build speed?
2. Is something costly or dangerous behind the vehicle path, such as a meter, cash machine, charger, fuel or stored goods?
3. Do people stand or walk where vehicles pass, such as queues, patios, entrances and walkways beside drive aisles?
4. Does the pavement slope toward the building, so a rolling vehicle heads there?
5. Has something been hit here already? Scrapes on a wall, bent door frames and chewed curbs are evidence.
6. Do trucks turn tightly near a corner or a dock door?

If every answer is no, you may not need posts. If one or two are yes, ask whether a curb, a wheel stop or a layout change is enough. If the vehicle path ends at glass or equipment, posts are usually the clearest answer. A visual walk-through of the whole site, such as a property condition assessment, lists these spots with photos and sorts them by priority.

What to settle before you ask for a quote

• What the post must do. Mark a lane, guide drivers, protect against low-speed contact, or stop a heavier vehicle. Each is a different product.
• What it will be set in. Embedded posts in a concrete footing resist impact far better than surface-mounted posts bolted to a slab. Surface mounts suit slabs over parking garages or places where digging is not possible.
• What is underground. Buried utilities must be located before any digging. Ontario One Call arranges free locates.
• Snow clearing. Plows and blowers need room around the posts. Reflective bands help operators see them under a fresh fall.
• Access. Fire routes, accessible routes and delivery paths must stay usable. Removable posts handle the gaps you need to open.
• Appearance. Tenants and customers see these posts every day. Finish and colour are worth a decision.

D&D Commercial Services installs steel pipe bollards set in concrete footings, surface-mounted and removable bollards, and plastic bollard covers. Every job starts with a free written estimate that lists the scope, materials, timing and access plan. See the bollard installation service for how a project runs.

Bollard questions property managers ask

What does bollard mean?

A bollard is a short, strong post set in or on the ground. The term began in shipping, where posts on a dock hold mooring lines. On commercial property it now means a post that controls vehicle movement, protects an object or building, or separates walkways from traffic.

Why do bollards exist?

Vehicles are heavy, and drivers make mistakes. Bollards hold a line between a vehicle and the things it should not reach, such as glass, meters, chargers and people on foot. They can also close an access point on purpose, so only authorized vehicles pass.

Are bollards required by law in Ontario?

No single rule requires bollards on every property. Requirements come from specific situations, such as gas meter protection, workplace safety rules, fire access and conditions your municipality or insurer sets. Ask your gas supplier, municipality and insurance broker what applies to your site.

Do all bollards stop a vehicle?

No. Flexible posts, plastic covers and many decorative posts only guide drivers or mark an edge. A steel pipe filled with concrete and set in a footing resists impact far better. Posts that must stop heavier vehicles at speed need an engineered, tested design.

Devon Moore, Operations Lead Founder & Operations Lead — D&D Commercial Services

Devon Moore is the founder and Operations Lead at D&D Commercial Services, delivering professional commercial property maintenance across Waterloo Region.