Introduction
The presence of barriers is an essential aspect of security and access control for many types of premises, including commercial properties, car parks, schools, government buildings, industrial properties, etc.
In particular, car park barriers are an essential feature, as they prevent unauthorised or unsuitable vehicles from entering, slow down traffic at the entrance to improve safety, assign parking spaces to owners, and manage traffic flow throughout the facility. However, not all car park barriers work the same way, so it’s important to pick one that will suit your budget and meet your business objectives.
To help you decide, let’s discuss the various types of parking barriers and their benefits.
How do Car Park Barriers work?
In a car park, how do barriers work? A car park barrier in a parking space is typically made of a horizontal beam connected to a vertical support at the side of the road. This beam extends across the entrance of a parking space to prevent vehicular access. To gain access, the driver will present a ticket, or ID card to the sensors at the side of the barrier.
After that, the beam is raised either manually or electronically (by remote control or automatic sensors) so that vehicles can pass through. When an authorised vehicle is through, the barrier is closed to ensure traffic is well-regulated.
Reasons to Install Car Park Barriers
1. Enhanced security
A parking barrier can help safeguard your property from unauthorised cars. A barrier on the premises discourages possible thieves and trespassers making it an ideal security measure, along with CCTV surveillance, industrial gates, and a perimeter fence.
However, individuals who desire to commit wrongdoing will be unable to enter and exit with a vehicle, stopping them from committing more serious thefts or mischief. The combination of these barriers and additional security measures, such as those listed above, results in an excellent overall security strategy.
2. Access control
Overall, car park barriers and other measures may be used to provide different levels of access to people, thus providing a general level of access control. For instance, automatic parking barriers can isolate some sections of the parking space for specific visitors or high-ranking officials.
These features not only stop wrongdoers but can also ensure that any unauthorised vehicle is prevented from entering the parking space and that the general public isn’t using it as free parking, making it easier for your employees to find available spaces.
3. Safety
In many ways, these barriers enhance general security since they physically indicate the precise entry point to the car park, therefore conveying a message to the vehicles that they should slow down to enter or to look out for cars coming out of the car park.
These are also used as a communication tool for pedestrians, indicating where the car park is located and where they need to be careful especially when approaching cars are nearby.
In addition, car park barriers enhance the safety of people around the car park due to their control and reduction of the traffic speed. They allow a car to enter at a time in an orderly manner, and this minimises cases of congestion and crashing.
This steady traffic flow is important for pedestrians as well since it means they will be able to guess the movements of cars and avoid areas where vehicles are moving. And since these cars will be so slow, the drivers have a better chance of seeing all the pedestrians and ensuring that they keep a good distance from them.
Types of Car Park Barriers
The benefits listed below can be obtained from all types of car park barriers, but different types of barriers are better suited to different applications, budgets, and properties. Not sure which kind of parking barrier will be effective for you? Here are some five types of car park barriers with the benefits of each to assist in your choice:
1. Boom barriers/manual car park barriers:
Boom or manual car park barriers are the simplest and cheapest types of car park barriers. As the name suggests, these car park barriers are manually controlled with the help of the pivot movement. These are more traditional than automatic barriers, they are lifted or lowered with the use of a key turn or handle and accompany an automatic locking system in place to keep the barriers in position.
These car park barriers are easier to install and do not depend on power, so the option is much cheaper as compared to the automatic barriers.
But the most significant drawback of them is that they are not automatic, and it takes longer for the barriers to shift to new positions which is okay if your car park is not so busy, but if the entrance to the car park is often busy then the barrier will be in a way blocking traffic.
2. Automatic car park barriers:
Automatic car park barriers operate using electricity, and thus, their opening and closing are easier compared to other systems which makes them more accessible and convenient.
These barriers can be accompanied by various access control systems, for example, intercoms, keypads, ID cards, and fobs, even a fingerprint recognition system. It is a familiar type of barrier installed in massive commercial facilities where drivers have to swipe a ticket for entry or exit.
Naturally, these automatically operated barriers are more convenient as compared to the manually operated ones, and they do not need much human intervention or servicing.
This makes them more appropriate to be used especially in commercial car parks, where there is a lot of traffic and the barriers need to work very promptly. However, they are somewhat more complicated to install, and they demand power, so both the initial cost and operating cost will be greater.
3. Height restriction barriers:
Looking for a solution that would allow limiting access for certain types of vehicles? Height restriction barriers are a very viable idea if large vehicles like trucks are not suitable for your car park because of space. These single or double-leaf barriers can be easily adjusted to allow only smaller vehicles with the specific allowed height and width into the premise, making them ideal for controlling access into the premise. These barriers are very easy to implement and relatively cheap for small car parks that want to limit access to such vehicles.
4. Horizontal swing barriers:
These barriers are similar to the manual car park barrier, but they swing horizontally. This is especially helpful if a horizontal barrier is a better fit for your space than a vertical one, and these barriers are also incredibly easy to use. Thus, you just have to open or close the barrier with your hands and then lock it securely.
Horizontal swing barriers require no power, which makes their installation cheap therefore, it will be suitable for small businesses. However, the main disadvantage of these barriers is that it takes longer to open and close them, so this solution is only suitable if you want to have the barrier open or closed for a long time. This is ideal for a car park that receives a small amount of traffic but busy ones cannot handle the pressure.
5. Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) barriers:
ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) technology is used in the policing of roads as well as in car park management. ANPR cameras capture number plates and then check the data against the ANPR system’s database, thus making it easy to identify who is coming or going into your car park.
These ANPR car park barriers apply this ANPR technology to allow only the registered vehicles into the car park while offering the highest level of security. The number plate data will be matched against your organisation’s database of authorised vehicles, and as an authorised vehicle approaches, the barriers will go up.
This will allow your staff to have easy and fast access to the premises while at the same time ensuring that those vehicles that are unauthorised cannot access the compound. Moreover, there is no need for additional card or ticket reader equipment, which allows these ANPR barrier systems to be more compact, meaning they take up less space in small car parks, and there is no opportunity for someone to steal a fob or card from a member of staff to gain access to the car park.
You might expect that these ANPR car park barriers are much more costly to purchase and install than simple manual ones, and you also have to mind the power expenses regularly. Nonetheless, these car park barriers are unbeatable in aspects such as security, convenience, traffic control, and access to car parks. Hence, they are worth investing in if you have the funds.
Conclusion
Knowing the requirements of your parking space is essential to making an informed decision about the type of parking barrier you want to install. Contact Euro Parking Services today to know more info about the type of solutions we offer with integrated barrier solutions!