Rising bollards are not meant to protect an area from people. They are meant to help protect an area from vehicular traffic and direct pedestrian walkflows. Any school that allows parents to drop off students in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon knows how difficult it can be to manage traffic. Worse yet, it can be arduous keeping children safe as they cross traffic to get into the school. There's also the troublesome task of managing traffic for students who travel to and from school by foot. Areas that have high levels of foot and vehicular traffic require detailed supervision. And while it can be effective to use human traffic controllers, rising bollards serve as a safer solution. These bollards can be lowered or raised with the push of a button, allowing school administrators to more effectively navigate traffic.

Rising Bollards Provide Flexible Use

Rising bollards are much like speed humps, however, they can be raised or lowered. When a school property is in need of them, such as during the morning when students are being dropped off, and the bollards can be raised to provide extra protection to pedestrians from vehicular traffic. They also work well to keep buses in line as they are picking up and dropping off students at the school. Additionally, rising bollards can be used to change the walkflow behavior of students and parents when walking in and out of a school. Studies have shown that when bollards are aligned in a straight row, pedestrians will change their flow of traffic to enjoy a wider margin of clearance. Schools can use this to direct flows of traffic, keeping pedestrians where they are safe and away from fast-moving vehicular movement. For schools that are considering the installation of rising bollards, it is imperative to not rush the project. Careful review of current traffic flows and intended traffic flows must take place. Temporary bollards should be used to assess the project's success. There are also software programs that can simulate pedestrian reaction, which can help identify potentially problematic areas.

Using Bollard Professionals

The design and installation of rising bollards should be outsourced to a professional company that specializes in this field of work. There are multiple factors that will affect the overall outcome, but a specialist, like TrafficGuard Direct, can assess all factors and make appropriate customizations to the design and installation processes. A professional rising bollard company will also know how to assess a school's narrow passageways, direct flows of traffic away from road edges, and place the bollards in areas that augment maximum visibility. Rising safety bollards enhance the flow of traffic around schools, and they provide valuable protection to both drivers and pedestrians. All schools should carefully consider the benefits to be gained from the installation of rising bollards. Contact TrafficGuard Direct today to find out more about the benefits of bollard steel posts for your school today.