20 MPH is very common speed reached in many retail, commercial and governmental parking areas.  A detailed traffic analysis would be required to confirm this in any specific situation or application.   That said, unwanted vehicular incursions are a major threat to almost any heavily visited building.

Before a vehicle arresting solution is chosen, an analysis of traffic patterns, average speeds, vulnerable areas of a particular building and vulnerable pedestrian areas need to be identified.   The areas include things as obvious as the front entry way to a building as well as not so apparent areas such as heavily used pedestrian walk ways that cross in front of a direct traffic lane.

In most situations, the main entrance of a building is the most vulnerable.   Often these entry ways are primarily glass and easy to penetrate.  They may also have flush curbs that make a vehicle incursion even easier.  In instances where there is a direct traffic “run-up” to the entry way, something should be done to prevent both accidental (most common) or even and intentional vehicle incursion.  Most incursions occur due to a health emergency or distracted driving.  There are daily examples of someone losing consciousness behind the wheel and inadvertently ramming a building causing property damage in the best case and injuring pedestrians in the worst case.  Texting while driving has also increased the instances of storefront vehicle incursions.

Protecting customers and pedestrians should be a priority for any building owner. In the case of protecting a storefront entrance, a 20 MPH removable bollard post may be considered for occasional equipment or vehicle access where applicable. Bollard Warehouse, Inc. provides a 20 MPH removable bollard post solution that has been tested to ASTM F3016. This test standard determines a protection devices ability to arrest a 5,000 lb. vehicle traveling up to 20 MPH.   One major advantage to a removable bollard solution (over a permanent bollard) is the ability to maintain the bollard over time and increase it’s use-able life span.  It also allows easy replacement of the 20 MPH removable bollard post in the event it is damaged without going through the costly re-installation of the entire bollard unit.

Protecting other areas that may be vulnerable to vehicle incursions should be a priority as well.  Any pedestrian walk way that has a direct vehicle run up should be protected. These steel post barriers may not fall in the 20 MPH category. In these instances Bollard Warehouse has solutions in 10 and 30 MPH.