Car Park Shutters vs. Car Park Barriers vs. Bollards

Commercial roller shutters are a popular way of keeping a car park secure. But what about other options such as car park barriers and bollards? Are car park shutters really your best option?

This guide compares all three methods of car park security including their benefits and their drawbacks.

 

Bollards

Bollards come in all shapes and sizes and can be an effective way of restricting access to vehicles. They can be fixed or they can be telescopic (this allows them to be lowered into the ground in order to allow certain vehicles to pass).

Bollards don’t restrict access to people on foot or people on bicycles/motorcycles. If you’re looking for a business security option to simply keep out vehicles, bollards could be suitable. However, if you want to restrict all access, they may not be particularly useful.

 

Barriers

Barriers are another effective option for restricting access to vehicles. This could be a manual barrier that is lifted down and locked at the end of the day or it could be an electronic barrier that can be opened by authorised personnel either carrying a card or a fob.

While barriers do keep out vehicles including motorbikes, there’s often little to stop someone walking under a barrier or lifting a bicycle over. Consequently, they are much like bollards in that they do not restrict all access – they may be adequate if you just want to keep out vehicles, but not effective if you want to keep out pedestrians too.

 

Shutters

Car park roller shutters have the advantage over other commercial security options in that they restrict all access. This prevents thieves, vandals and other unwanted personnel from entering the car park by foot.

Roller shutters also have other benefits over other forms of access control. As well as keeping out vehicles and people, they can keep out rain and wind. They can also hide the car park from view if necessary.

There are a variety of different styles that can help to cater to various needs. For instance, some shutter are perforated in order to allow ventilation, which could prevent a small underground car park from getting too hot and stuffy. Tube and link shutters meanwhile provide full visibility beyond the shutters so that people still see into the car park and know that it is there.

Shutters can be manually operated but are often electronically operated. Using fobs, keypads and control panels, shutters can be used to restrict access to specific authorised personnel.

 

The best solution: Shutters

Bollards and barriers may be a good option for keeping out vehicles, but if you want to restrict access to cyclists and pedestrians too, commercial roller shutters are a much better choice. With many styles to choose from, you can find the right type of roller shutters for your car park.

You can find out more information on our car park shutters on this page. If you’re interested in getting some car park roller shutters installed or have any queries, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at 0800 112 0083 or 0203 887 0993, or email us at [email protected].