AS 2890 recognises the use of protective devices, including bollards, where required to protect buildings, pedestrian areas and fixed objects from vehicle damage. It also requires protective devices to be clearly visible to drivers.

For most carparks, the objective is not hostile vehicle protection — it is reducing repeated damage, protecting assets and keeping the development safe, functional and presentable.

Impact Recovery Bollards are recommended where low-speed impact resilience, reduced maintenance and whole-of-life cost savings are the priority. Certified crash-rated bollards should be used where vehicle containment is required

In many carpark and low-speed development environments, bollards are not installed as road safety barriers or hostile-vehicle mitigation devices.

They are commonly used to:

• improve driver visibility
• protect buildings, columns, walls, stairs, lifts and services
• prevent minor vehicle encroachment
• guide vehicle movement
• separate pedestrians from parking areas
• reduce repeated damage to pavements, footings and assets

Choosing the Right Level of Protection

 

Where a bollard is required to stop an errant vehicle, a certified crash-tested protection device should be specified. ZERO CIVIL Impact Recovery Bollards provide a practical low-speed solution by

·       allowing controlled deflection,

·       protecting footings from damage and

·       enabling fast reinstatement after severe impact.

Where the bollard is being used

·                in a low-speed carpark environment for asset protection,

·                visibility, parking control or minor vehicle encroachment,

a non-certified bollard may be appropriate where selected following a site-specific risk assessment.

Over-specifying crash-rated bollards in low-speed areas can increase project cost, maintenance complexity and damage to vehicles and pavements. Under-specifying bollards in high-risk pedestrian areas can create safety and liability exposure.

It should be recognized that rigid devices are themselves a hazard; they have the potential to cause serious injuries. The intention of Standard AS/NZS 3845.2 is that these devices are only installed at locations where the risk with the device installed is significantly less than the risk without the device.

 

Practical Guidance for Bollard Selection

Bollards should be selected according to the site risk, expected impact speed and required design objective. Impact Recovery Bollards provide a practical low-speed solution where controlled deflection, reusable footings and reduced maintenance are the priority. Where certified vehicle containment is required, a crash-tested bollard system should be specified.

Not all bollards perform the same function. A bollard used for visibility or access control is not the same as a bollard designed to resist vehicle impact. Likewise, a low-speed impact-resisting bollard is not the same as a certified crash-rated containment system.

Correct selection should consider:

• expected vehicle speed
• likely vehicle type
• impact angle
• pedestrian exposure
• asset risk
• required level of containment
• foundation performance
• maintenance requirements
• whether the bollard is expected to guide, resist, recover, deform or contain

Define the purpose of the bollard

• improve visibility
• guide vehicle movement
• prevent vehicle access
• protect buildings, walls, columns, services and assets
• separate pedestrians from traffic
• reduce repeated damage in carparks and low-speed zones
• provide low-speed impact resistance
• provide certified vehicle containment where required

Where the objective is visual guidance or basic access control, a standard bollard may be suitable.

Where the objective is to reduce repeated low-speed impact damage, an Impact Recovery Bollard may be appropriate.

Where the objective is to stop or contain an errant vehicle, a certified crash-tested bollard system should be specified.

Foundation performance is critical

Impact performance is not determined by the bollard alone.

Research into bollard design and testing recognises that the foundation is critical to the performance of a bollard in resisting impact loads. This is especially important in locations where bollards are repeatedly impacted. 

Traditional rigid bollards often transfer impact force directly into the concrete footing and surrounding pavement. This can result in bent bollards, cracked concrete, damaged paving and repeated replacement work.

Impact Recovery Bollards are designed to manage impact force through controlled deflection, energy absorption and a replaceable resistance core, helping protect the surrounding footing from repeated damage.

Match the bollard to the risk

In low-speed environments, the objective is often not formal vehicle containment. It is usually to reduce damage, protect assets, improve presentation, improve safety and reduce long-term maintenance costs.

Impact Recovery Bollards occupy the practical middle ground between basic rigid bollards and certified crash-rated vehicle containment systems.

They are suited to:

• carparks
• disabled parking bays
• shopping centres
• commercial developments
• loading areas
• service vehicle areas
• utility assets
• drive-through areas
• low-speed access control points
• pedestrian separation in low-speed environments

Where pedestrian exposure is high, vehicle speeds are higher, or formal containment is required, a certified crash-tested bollard system should be specified.

Recommended selection hierarchy

1. Standard Bollards

Use where the objective is visibility, guidance or basic access control, and vehicle impact risk is low.

2. Impact Recovery Bollards

Use where the objective is low-speed impact resilience, reusable footings, reduced damage and faster reinstatement.

3. Certified Crash-Rated Bollards

Use where the objective is vehicle containment, pedestrian protection from errant vehicles, hostile vehicle mitigation or compliance with a specific crash-test requirement.

For most carparks and low-speed commercial environments, the objective is not hostile vehicle mitigation or formal vehicle containment. The objective is to reduce repeated damage, protect assets, maintain presentation and reduce long-term maintenance costs.

In these environments, Impact Recovery Bollards provide a practical and sustainable option by allowing controlled deflection, helping absorb impact energy and protecting the surrounding footing from repeated damage.

Where certified vehicle containment is required, a crash-tested system such as the EAB Bollard should be specified.

 

Recommended Application: Impact Recovery Bollards

ZERO CIVIL Impact Recovery Bollards are designed for carparks, parking zones, commercial developments and other low-speed areas where bollards are likely to be impacted during normal site use.

They are particularly suited to locations where traditional rigid bollards are repeatedly damaged, loosened, bent or replaced.

Typical applications include:

• carparks
• disabled parking bays
• loading areas
• drive-through zones
• service vehicle areas
• commercial developments
• shopping centres
• utilities and service assets
• low-speed access control points
• pedestrian separation in low-speed environments

 

Why Engineers Should Consider Impact Recovery Bollards

 

1. Prevent costly footing damage and repeated repairs

Traditional rigid bollards transfer impact force directly into the concrete footing. In many cases, the bollard bends, the footing cracks, or the surrounding pavement is disturbed.

Impact Recovery Bollards use an internal resistance core and shock absorbing mechanism to absorb and manage impact force. The purpose is to protect the surrounding footing and pavement from repeated damage, making it reusable.

This is especially important in carparks, where the same bollards are often hit repeatedly over the life of the development.

2. Controlled deflection and recovery

Under low-speed impact, the bollard is designed to deflect and slowly self-recover rather than behave as a rigid obstruction.

The system uses two shock absorbing Impact Recovery Rings and an internal resistance core to control movement. The bollard remains rigid in normal use and cannot be pushed over by hand, but under vehicle impact it can deflect up to approximately 20 degrees before recovering. 

This provides a practical balance between:

• vehicle resistance
• impact absorption
• footing protection
• bollard protection
• maintenance efficiency
• reduced damage to vehicles
• reduced impact energy transferred to vehicle

 

3. Faster replacement after severe impact

If a severe impact exceeds the recovery range, the internal resistance core may bend and require replacement. This is intentional.

Rather than destroying the bollard, footing and pavement, the replaceable core acts as the sacrificial component. The bollard can be removed, the core replaced, and the system reinstated without excavation or footing replacement.

The existing draft notes that Impact Recovery Bollards are intended to make bollards reusable after severe impact and reduce maintenance costs over the life of the development. 

 

4. Lower whole-of-life cost

The cheapest bollard is rarely the cheapest system.

A low-cost rigid bollard installed directly into concrete may be inexpensive at installation, but if it is hit repeatedly, the real cost includes:

• labour
• traffic management
• concrete repairs
• pavement repairs
• replacement bollards
• disposal
• downtime
• safety exposure
• repeat call-outs

Impact Recovery Bollards are designed to reduce these repeated maintenance costs by preserving the footing and allowing faster reinstatement after impact.

For developments where even one bollard is likely to be badly impacted during the life of the project, the whole-of-life cost advantage can be significant.

 

Recommended Carpark Specification

For carparks and low-speed vehicle environments, ZERO CIVIL recommends the Impact Recovery Bollard System

Typical configuration:

• Advanced Polymer, steel or stainless-steel bollard casing
• ZERO WASTE 350 mm or 650 mm inground Foundation or surface-mount base, depending on site conditions
• Impact Recovery Rings
• Internal resistance core
• 30 MPa concrete footing
• Heavy or Extra heavy Duty resistance core, depending on expected impact risk

For higher-risk carpark zones, service vehicle areas or areas exposed to utility vehicles, a 650 mm footing with the Extra Heavy Duty resistance core may be selected to increase resistance and reduce the likelihood of core replacement

 

 

Where Impact Recovery Bollards provide a safe, sustainable option

 

Impact Recovery Bollards sit in the practical middle ground between conventional rigid bollards and high-cost crash-rated vehicle barriers.

 

Shallow Installation

Because the Impact Recovery System absorbs the impact force, the depth of foundations can be substantially reduced, saving time and money and reducing disturbance to underground services.

 

For this reason:

 

·       Surface Mount foundations are adequate for standard carpark applications

·       350 mm Depth are suitable for carparks

·       650 mm for more industrial applications

·       XHD 650 mm for high impact locations

 

Advanced Polymer Bollards provide a safe, sustainable option

 

Advanced Polymer Bollards provide a safe and extremely resilient alternative to steel bollards.

Advanced Polymer Bollards offer:

• Non conductivity
• high impact resistance
• excellent toughness
• flexibility under load
• reliable performance across a wide range of temperatures
• UV Stabilisation
• reduced risk of brittle failure over time

Under lighter impact, the bollard can flex and recover. Scuff marks from tyres can typically be cleaned away