Types of Crowd Control Barriers

Crowd Control Barriers assist in controlling and managing the public and pedestrians to keep them safe or prevent passers-by from entering prohibited areas.

During the pandemic where authorities presently implement social distancing, tools and aids are necessary to help handle the flow of people from a public place, whether a venue, gathering or site. 

Knowing the ideal crowd control barriers to utilise are very crucial. Read more as we list down various crowd control barriers, their pros and cons, and how to use them appropriately.

Kinds of Crowd Control Barriers

The primary functions of crowd control barriers are safety, security, and protection. While they may occupy a little bit of space, they are intended to be like that so that people may see them immediately.

Depending on what kind of crowd you wish to manage, there are a wide range of crowd control barriers to be used.

Listed below are the crowd control barriers suitable for various events, the advantages and disadvantages of using them, and how to use them efficiently.

Steel Barriers

Known as the strongest build of crowd control barriers, they efficiently manage areas that expect a heavy flow of people that usually tend to be a high traffic area.

Steel Crowd Control barriers have an excellent interlocking feature, and they are challenging to move to another place once already settled.

Made from different materials, including aluminium, galvanised metal, stainless steel, etc., they are expected to be reliable once placed on the site.

• Heavy-duty Metal Crowd Barriers

This type of Steel Barrier is commonly found at big events such as concerts, festivals, large group gatherings, etc.

Most of the time, heavy-duty metal crowd barriers are made of galvanised metal, making them sturdy, reliable, and stable when fixated on a place you wish to use them.

They are excellent to use for crowd control, separating pedestrians in traffic lanes, mass events, and indicating off-limits where you wish to prohibit the public from entering.

Traffic Management Barriers

Barriers specifically made to direct the heavy flow of traffic and pedestrians at the same time are mostly the ones that are colourful and easy to see even from afar.

Made from high-quality plastics, these traffic management barriers usually intend to become utilised in queuing areas where traffic aids are mostly needed.

• Chapter 8 Road Barriers

HDPE Blow Moulded Barriers, also known as Chapter 8 Road Barriers, are rather helpful in managing traffic and queuing areas because of their colourful and noticeable appearances.

Their most distinctive characteristic is that they are built colourfully and come with reflective stickers so that pedestrians can easily spot them even at night.

One can say that they are also an efficient street solution for marking off hazardous zones as a fully functioning safety aid.

Blow Moulded Barriers are made from High Density Polyethylene, known as the most versatile plastic. Its colourful body, filled with British Red and White markings, indicate a critical traffic sign that means "No Entry."

• HDPE Crowd Barrier

This type of barrier is almost similar to the HDPE Blow Moulded one. The only difference is that HDPE Crowd Barrier is not colourful.

They are also known as a plain HDPE crowd barrier, and they are easy to set up because of their lightweight and hook-and-eye features.

Because of their HDPE make, this barrier is corrosion-resistant, recyclable, and rust-proof, an optimal characteristic to find in an ideal street solution.

HDPE Crowd Barriers do not have sharp edges to fully conform to safety protocol procedures, making it safe for pedestrians even if they bump into one of these barriers.

Don't forget to read about benefits of crowd management.

Pros and Cons of Crowd Control Barriers

With the rise of social distancing protocols, crowd control barriers are much needed than before. While these crowd control barriers pose a lot of advantages in mind, they may have drawbacks that you should know before fixating them in a place where big crowds are expected. To use them appropriately and prevent harmful occurrences from happening, read more below:

Pros:

Non-Conductive

HDPE Crowd Control Barriers are made from plastic, making them unable to conduct heat. With this feature, they are ideal to use outdoors, where heavy traffic and big crowds are expected.

The safety of pedestrians is also ensured because using HDPE on a large scale of traffic prevents unfortunate heat-related and fire-related problems in the future.

Rust-proof and Corrosion-Free

HDPE Barriers also offer rust-proof and corrosion-free bodies, making them useful for an extended period. Most of the time, rust and corrosion damage barriers as they are exposed to heat and winds, making them susceptible to rust.

With this ideal street solution, HDPE prolongs the life of a barrier, making them more reliable and steadfast over time.

Easy to Set Up

Steel and HDPE Barriers are specifically intended to be set up quickly to make their deployment faster when the situation demands.

Their hook-and-eye function paves the way for this. There is no need for hassle installations as they are easy to access wherever needed.

Radiant Colours Available

For HDPE Barriers, a wide array of vivid choices are available: Bright Blue, Colourful Purple, Vivid Green and British Red, which is comprehended to be a traffic sign for 'No Entry.' 

While colours seem to be just a design, they impose a more critical role, especially for traffic management, because they make it easy for barricades to be seen by passers-by and can give a piece of information quickly that the area beyond the barriers is off-limits.

Only Temporary

Non-permanent barriers can be an advantage because they are easy to move from one place to another. With their temporal use, you will not worry about having to reuse them all over again.

They are also easy to be added if the barrier seems to be inadequate in number and easy to eliminate some if they seem to be over in number.

Cons:

Temporary

As much as it can be an advantage, being temporary imposes disadvantages because if they are not fixated enough, pedestrians and even strong winds can move them out of their positions. 

However, you can resolve this minor issue by weighting down HDPE barriers, making moving from place to place more challenging.

Final Thoughts

Crowd Control Barriers are great aids in managing big crowds. The key in using them optimally is knowing how to use them properly, what they are made of, and the essence of the visual signs built with them, like their British Red colour and white markings that indicate essential traffic signs.

In this way, they will put the crowd's safety in high regard, and no one will have to endure unfortunate hazardous incidents on the road.

Check out event safety tips here.