Road Barriers: the options
When it comes to road barrier hire, knowing which barrier design will best suit your application isn’t always easy. The following are the pros and cons of the various traffic restraint systems available.
1. Concrete Road Barriers
Concrete road safety barriers have been around for many years and can be found all around the world, both as temporary solutions and as permanent road traffic safety solutions. Not surprisingly, concrete barriers are thick and heavy – often utilised on wider, busy roads and motorways.
Concrete road safety barriers are effective in that they are rigid and strong, protecting either pedestrians by the side of the road or oncoming traffic travelling in the other direction. However, there are some issues to take into account.
Because the material is so heavy, concrete road barriers are much harder to put in place than other models and this can result in high installation costs.
Despite their thickness, they’re also less resistant to vehicle damage than some other material choices like steel. They can also wear over time when repeatedly exposed to icy or wet weather conditions.
Concrete barriers also do not feature the same flexibility as a Bull Barrier road barrier, meaning that energy is not absorbed by the barrier and the stopping distance (in head-on collisions particularly) is much shorter. As a result, the potential for whiplash, head trauma and other injuries is higher.
2. Bollards as road safety barriers
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3. Metal road safety barriers
Metal crash barriers are used to protect against both high impact and low impact collisions. They help significantly lower the risk of injury and risk of damage to the surrounding area and properties.
You can find metal crash barriers in a whole host of different locations, particularly areas which can become crowded with pedestrians. These include corporate buildings, car parks, schools, universities, arenas, stadiums, shopping centres, pedestrian bridges, docks, storage warehouses and airports.
Metal road barriers come in all shapes and sizes depending on their application. Metal safety road barriers are generally known for their strength and durability, but whilst some are more flexible and lightweight, others can be difficult to install due to how heavy and rigid they are.
Bull Barrier has addressed this issue with its modular design and solid linking system. It requires just two people to install, and so is the ideal temporary road barrier.
4. Plastic Road Barriers
Plastic road barriers are a common choice in road barrier hire, as they are extremely easy to install, dismantle, move and rearrange — making them a great option for temporary road barrier needs such as diversions as a result of road work and maintenance in low speed areas.
You’ll commonly find plastic road safety barriers around construction sites or at events requiring crowd control to separate pedestrians from vehicles. They are often used as pedestrian barriers as well as traffic barriers, as their visibility makes it easy for pedestrians to determine a safe alternative route that doesn’t put them at risk of a collision with a vehicle.
However, the main issue with plastic road barriers is that they simply don’t have the strength to withstand a collision. They are useful to use as a guide for motorists, but in the event of a crash they aren’t going to do much physical work to prevent the extent of the damage.
Get the best of both worlds with Bull Barrier’s safety road barriers
Ideally, you need a road barrier model with the strength and sturdiness of metal and concrete barriers and the flexibility and ease of installation of plastic ones. This is exactly what Bull Barrier provides.
You only need two people to install Bull Barrier road safety barriers, which are flexible, 10kg lighter than the nearest competitor and able to work around corners and sharp bends. They are also rigorously tested to ensure that they are strong and sturdy, able to withstand the pressure of impact and even soften the blow for the vehicle, guiding them back into the flow of the road.
Bull Barrier safety road barriers are low maintenance, easy to store, highly visible and more environmentally friendly than other road safety systems. If you are looking for a lightweight but strong barrier that can be fitted with just two people, look no further than Bull Barrier.
Bull Barrier meets and surpasses all European and international crash test standards, making it a safe and versatile option for short or long term installations.