What are the different types of barriers and their benefits?

Barriers are essential security and access control features for many premises, including commercial properties, car parks, schools, government buildings, industrial properties and more.

In particular, car park barriers are an essential feature, helping to prevent the entry of unauthorised or unsuitable vehicles, slow down traffic at the entrance to a car park to improve safety, reserve allocated parking spaces for their owners, and manage traffic flow throughout the premises. However, not all car park barriers work the same way, so it’s important to choose the right barrier for your business to achieve its intended purpose and fit within your budget. 

To help you decide, let’s discuss the different types of car park barriers and their respective benefits.

How do car park barriers work?

So, how do car park barriers work? A car park barrier, also known as a boom barrier, typically consists of a horizontal beam attached to a vertical pillar at the side of the road. This beam stretches across an entrance to a car park to prevent vehicular access. To gain access, the driver will present a ticket, fob or ID card to the sensors at the side of the barrier. Alternatively, there may be a staff member present or an intercom for drivers to speak directly to a member of staff elsewhere on the premises. 

Then, the beam is lifted manually or electronically (via remote control or automatic sensors) into a vertical position at the side of the road, allowing a vehicle to pass through. Once the authorised vehicle has passed, the barrier is closed again to restrict access to other vehicles and maintain orderly traffic flow.

Why should you install car park barriers on your commercial premises?

So, why are these car park barriers such a common feature? Here are the main reasons why business owners choose to install these barriers at the entrance to commercial car parks:

1. Enhanced security

Car park barriers can increase the security of your commercial property by keeping out unauthorised vehicles. Potential thieves and vandals will have a harder time getting on the premises if a barrier stops them, so it’s an excellent physical security measure you should install as soon as possible – along with security features such as CCTV, industrial gates and perimeter fencing. 

Although pedestrians may still gain access to the premises, criminals won’t be able to enter and exit with a vehicle, preventing them from committing more severe cases of theft or vandalism. Combining these barriers with additional security measures, such as those mentioned above, creates a fantastic all-round security strategy.

2. Traffic management

In addition to providing much-needed security, car park barriers can improve the efficiency of your commercial car park by regulating traffic flow. If all vehicles can enter the car park whenever they choose, this causes a lot of congestion during the busiest hours of the day. Car park barriers only allow one vehicle to enter at a time to reduce traffic build-up, and whoever is operating the barriers can adjust the number of vehicles they allow to pass in a specific time frame based on current traffic flow and congestion.

3. Access control

It’s not only criminals that get thwarted by car park barriers. Any unauthorised vehicle can be prevented from entering your commercial property. You can ensure that the general public doesn’t use it as free parking, meaning your employees will have a much easier time finding free spaces.

In addition to this general level of access control, car park barriers and other types of security features can be used to create different levels of access for different groups. For example, automatic car park barriers can only allow high-level executives or visitors into sections of the car park, or features like automatic bollards can be used to reserve these parking spaces. Automatic bollards can also reserve accessible parking spaces for employees who may need them. These employees will have their own fob to control the bollard, ensuring they always have a parking space that fits their needs.

4. Safety

By clearly marking the entrance to the car park, these barriers improve overall safety by signalling to vehicles when they should slow down to enter or to expect exiting vehicles. Car park barriers are also an essential signal to pedestrians, showing them where the car park is and where they should watch out for oncoming vehicles.

Plus, car park barriers improve safety by managing and slowing down traffic flow around the car park. Vehicles can only enter one at a time in an orderly manner, reducing the risk of congestion and collisions. This steady traffic flow is vital for pedestrians too, as they’ll be able predict vehicle movements better and stay out of the path of moving cars. And since these cars will move slower, the drivers will have a better chance of spotting all pedestrians and giving them a wide berth.

Types of car park barriers and their benefits

Although all car park barriers can give you the benefits listed above, different types of barriers are better suited to different applications, budgets and properties. Not sure what type of car park barrier is best for your business? Here are seven different types of car park barriers and their advantages to help you decide:

1. Boom barriers/manual car park barriers

Boom or manual car park barriers are the most basic and cost-effective option. As the name suggests, these car park barriers are operated manually using their pivot mechanism. Rather than using electricity (like automatic barriers), these manual barriers are lifted or lowered with a key turn or handle, and they come with an automatic locking system to keep them in the correct position. 

These car park barriers are easier to install and don’t require any power, making them much cheaper than automatic barriers. However, their manual operation means they’re much less convenient and take longer to move into new positions, which may not be a huge issue if your car park doesn’t get a lot of traffic, but the entrance to a busy car park could become pretty congested with a manual barrier. 

2. Automatic car park barriers

Automatic car park barriers are raised and lowered using electrically, making them more accessible and convenient. These barriers can be paired with various access control systems, including intercoms, keypads, ID cards and fobs (even fingerprint recognition systems). You’ll commonly see these car park barriers on large commercial premises requiring drivers to scan a ticket to enter or exit.

Naturally, these automatic barriers are much easier to operate than manual ones, and they require little interference or maintenance. This makes them much better suited for busy commercial car parks that need fast-acting barriers to keep traffic flowing at a steady pace. However, they’re a bit more difficult to install and require power to run, so both the initial installation costs and the overall running costs will be higher. 

3. Height restriction barriers

Need to restrict access for specific types of vehicles? Height restriction barriers are a fantastic solution if large vehicles like lorries aren’t suitable for your car park due to a lack of space. These single or double-leaf barriers can be adjusted to restrict access for vehicles of a certain height or width, giving you complete control over who can access the premises. 

Here at Expert Security, our team offers quick and easy installation of height restriction barriers, and minimal maintenance is involved too. Therefore, these barriers are a simple and cost-effective solution for small car parks that need to restrict access to certain vehicles.

4. Horizontal swing barriers

Looking for another hassle-free option? Horizontal swing barriers are a type of manual car park barrier that swing horizontally instead of vertically. Not only is this a great idea if a horizontal barrier fits your space better than a vertical one, but these barriers are also extremely easy to operate. All you have to do is swing the barrier open or closed by hand and lock it into place.

With no power and minimal installation costs, horizontal swing barriers are a great budget option for small businesses. Unfortunately, the major downside is that they’re more awkward and time-consuming to open and close, so you should only consider these barriers if you’d like to keep them open or shut for long periods. This is a fantastic option if you don’t get much traffic, but busier car parks would struggle.

5. Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) barriers

ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) technology is frequently used in policing and car park management. ANPR cameras read number plates and compare this information to the ANPR system’s database, which means you can automatically detect whose vehicle is entering or exiting your car park.

ANPR car park barriers use this ANPR technology to grant access to authorised vehicles while maintaining top-notch security. Number plate data will be compared to your organisation’s database of authorised vehicles, so the barriers will rise automatically when an authorised vehicle approaches. This means your staff will gain quick and easy access to the premises, while unauthorised vehicles will be unable to enter. Plus, with no need for extra card or ticket reader technology, these ANPR barrier systems can save much-needed space in smaller car parks, and the risk of someone stealing a staff member’s fob or card to enter is removed.

As you might assume, these ANPR car park barriers are much more expensive to buy and install than basic manual ones, and you’ll have to deal with ongoing electricity costs too. However, you can’t beat these car park barriers when it comes to security, convenience, traffic management and access control, so they’re a worthwhile investment if you have the available budget.

6. Automatic bollards

If you only need to restrict access to specific parking spaces, a smaller solution like security bollards could be a quick and cost-effective choice. Automatic bollards can be raised to block a space or lowered into the ground to grant access by using a fob, which means the parking space owner can prevent others from taking their spot while they’re away. These bollards are fitted with LED lights for extra safety and visibility so drivers can see them in the dark.

Other types of bollards, such as steel security bollards. are also highly effective as an additional security measure in high-risk areas, such as government buildings or places with nearby pedestrian zones. These bollards can act as a hostile vehicle mitigation system if someone tries to perform a ramming attack. In these situations, a single car park barrier won’t be enough to provide adequate security, so you may need to install security bollards for extra protection.

7. Industrial gates

If car park barriers aren’t quite sturdy enough, you might prefer an industrial gate instead. These gates will restrict access for unauthorised vehicles and pedestrians, making them a more suitable option if you also need to stop pedestrians from approaching the premises for security or public safety reasons. 

So, how do industrial gates work? In short, there are multiple types of industrial gates to choose from, depending on your requirements and budget. Manual sliding and swinging gates are cheaper and easier to install due to the lack of electric motors, but they’re more inconvenient to operate. Automatic gates are the opposite of this, and automatic sliding and bi-folding gates have the added benefit of saving a lot of space if you can’t accommodate a swinging industrial gate on your property. To save even more space, you can choose a single gate design rather than double gates – these gates are a bit cheaper too!

Here at Expert Security, we provide and professionally install a wide range of car park barrier products to keep your commercial property safe, secure and well-managed. These include manual car park barriers, automatic car park barriers, industrial gates, automatic bollards, height restriction barriers and more. Check out our blog for more advice on bricks-and-mortar security and cyber security, or get in touch today for a quote!