It wasn’t all that long ago that driveway bollards almost exclusively belonged on commercial property only.
Finding driveway bollards that secured and protected residential driveways just wasn’t something that happened all that much. It wasn’t something that a lot of homeowners were looking for.
Today, though, nothing could be further from the truth.
More and more homeowners are looking for effective, efficient, and (generally) affordable ways to better protect and secure their homes through their driveways – all without having to add gigantic, expensive, and difficult to maintain gates.
Bollards offer the perfect solution, so long as they are properly thought out and implemented.
That’s why we’ve put together this detailed guide.
Table of Contents
The Benefit of Adding Bollards to Your Driveway
As we mentioned a moment ago, more and more homeowners are looking to take full advantage of bollard technology in their driveway to add an extra layer of security, privacy, and peace of mind to their properties.
A wonderful solution that protects not only homeowners but those outside of the property as well – including pedestrians and passersby – it’s not at all unreasonable to assume that these upgrades are going to become even more popular as time goes on. We even wrote a best driveway bollards article for you to check out.
Here are just a few of the benefits bollards bring to the table.
Improved Security
The biggest (and most obvious) benefit that bollards offer homeowners today is a dramatic increase to overall safety and security.
A physical barrier designed to stop vehicles right in their tracks immediately upon contact, bollards are more secure and more reliable than traditional gate systems and other security options.
Bollards work so well to protect homes, in fact, that many would be thieves and criminals intentionally avoid homes with these kinds of systems installed. They know that if this is the first line of defense there are likely others just as if not more effective and won’t bother with the trouble.
Protection for Pedestrians, Too
Bollards also help to keep vehicle crashes away from more pedestrian areas, particularly when they are set up and established near public walkways and sidewalks.
Some homeowners will even create “dual layers” of bollard protection (particularly retractable and telescoping bollard protection) that creates a safer walkway for pedestrians when they cross that driveway area.
Everyone benefits from this upgrade!
Wonderful Lighting Options
Every home security expert recommends improving lighting to each and every one of their clients, and quality security lighting can be installed directly on bollards to increase their effectiveness significantly.
Not only that, but this exterior lighting can make outdoor spaces more comfortable to use, safer to use, and even act as an early warning system for motorists that there may be pedestrians in the area.
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Which Bollards Are Best Suited for Your Property?
Now that we’ve covered some of the benefits that bollards offer, let’s break down some of the different bollard options available today.
Static Bollards
Probably the most cost-effective of all the bollard options (as well as the simplest to install), these bollards are generally used as “residential perimeter protection” and will not be placed directly in the middle of the driveway the way other options are.
Installed with a solid foundation (and plenty of concrete) they become permanent fixtures of your security bubble.
- Anti-Ram Parking Bollard
- Ideal for Driveways
- Padlock Provided
Collapsible Bollards
Collapsible bollards (sometimes called foldout or fold down bollards) are becoming more and more popular these days, too.
These bollards are easy enough to operate (just fold them down when not in use or lock them into place when you need their security), relatively inexpensive, and generally pretty easy to install.
Because they are manually operated they are a lot less complex and a lot less involved to own, operate, and maintain compared to telescoping bollards, for example.
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Removable Bollards
Removable bollards (or lift out bollards) are fantastic for providing a layer of safety and security on a semipermanent nature.
These bollards are almost identical to static bollard options, but instead of being securely locked into place with an anchored foundation they are instead attached to that anchored foundation with secure locking lugs.
This allows these bollards to be put directly into a driveway when it needs to be shut down and secured with the ability to pop them out and remove them when the driveway needs to be free and unobstructed.
- Heavy duty removable security post designed for concreting into the ground for maximum security
- Additional security for private or commercial use
- Strong & robust heavy duty steel construction
Telescoping Bollards
Telescoping bollards are some of the most expensive options available, but also the most highly recommended – including from insurance companies!
Designed to be 100% ram proof, these anti-vehicle solutions provide that extra layer of safety and security with bollards that telescope up and lock into position or telescope down into the driveway when they aren’t needed.
Obviously more complex than other options, they also happen to be more expensive but provide maybe the most convenient and seamless security solution of any bollard today.
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Important Things to Consider
There are a few other things you want to consider before you invest in this kind of security upgrade for your driveway.
Vehicle Types
For one thing, you’ll need to consider the types of vehicles that are most likely to use your driveway on a regular basis – as well as the kinds of vehicles that you want to protect your property from.
If your home is going to be frequently visited by vehicles that are more compact and low to the ground you’ll need to be sure that your bollard installation solution provides enough clearance for those vehicles to come through unimpeded.
Larger vehicles (trucks and SUVs, for example) usually have higher clearance levels and can accommodate bollards that sit a little higher than level with the driveway even when they aren’t technically “in position”.
Driveway Traffic
Driveway traffic is also another important consideration.
You’ll need to think about how often these bollards are going to be deployed, how often they will need to be retracted, and getting – as well as who will be responsible for – these bollards into and out of position.
A lot of people that think they will be comfortable manually moving bollards around all the time end up wishing they went with the automated and telescoping option instead – most sooner rather than later!
Water Table and Soil Issues
While most driveways can accommodate bollard installations (especially with just a bit of surface reworking), some may not have the solid foundation necessary to install the safe and secure solutions properly.
You’ll want to make sure that water table issues and soil composition issues won’t negate any of the effectiveness of your new bollard install.
How Bollards Fit in Your Overall Security System
Finally, it’s important to remember that while bollards are a big piece of the puzzle for your home security solution they aren’t – or shouldn’t be, anyway – your only line of defense.
Think about how your new bollards are going to fit in your overall security system and determine just how much of a net positive they are going to be.
This will let you know whether or not this investment in your safety and security will pay off or if you could better invest your funds somewhere else.
(Spoiler alert – Most figure out pretty quickly that bollards offer a fantastic and cost-effective upgrade to their home security.)
