Last year we changed the security industry with our innovative glide bollard HVM system and we’ve just done it again, by launching a new version that is embedded just 130mm into the ground – less than the length of a pencil.
We’re calling it the Gilde Bollard Nano and its super-shallow installation opens up whole new possibilities for siting access control systems in towns and cities because it requires such minimal excavation in order to put it into place.
In line with our existing glide bollard system, the Glide Bollard Nano, which is manually operated, has been developed and manufactured in the UK and put through the most rigorous of tests at MIRA.
This time we used a 1.5 tonne Ford Mondeo travelling at 40mph in order to prove that it meets the required standards for HVM systems, and the bollards answered all the questions asked of them by standing firm on impact.
On inspection, we found there was no distortion of the concrete around the Nano, proving that the energy was displaced along the whole length of the product.
The Mondeo, meanwhile, was less robust – not only did its front end and axle buckle when it hit the bollards, the vehicle jumped into the air and landed on the bollards, rendering it immobile, which would also prevent other vehicles from passing through.
The technology at the heart of the Glide Bollard Nano is a closely guarded secret but it essentially comprises of a series of moveable immobile steel bollards fitted onto a rail that is embedded just 130mm into the surface of a road or pathway.
This allowed the bollards to be slid aside in order to let vehicles through and then returned to their original positions. Unlike our original system, there are no metal plates to remove – instead, the bollards are locked into place with pins that can only be removed with a special key.
Since all situations and requirements are different, we can install whatever number and combination of moveable and immobile bollards as are needed to block off the road.
It is also ideal for retrofitting, since all that’s required to put it into place is a shallow trench laid with standard MOT type 1 sub base, while the shallow depth means that underground services will remain undisturbed.
It took us three years to develop our original glide bollard system, in response to an inquiry from a customer looking for a straightforward moveable vehicle barrier that did not prevent pedestrians passing through, while avoiding extensive and costly excavations.
There was nothing suitable on the market at a reasonable cost, so Securiscape’s managing director, Mark Stone, set about designing a tailor-made and cost-effective solution.
After exploring a number of possible solutions, he took inspiration from the most humble of common household objects – plastic gliders sliding up and down a curtain rail.
Mr Stone said: “There are plenty of vehicle control systems on the market but you won’t find one that is so cost-effective, flexible and appropriate for such a wide range of situations as our new Glide Bollard Nano.
“To have achieved an excavation depth of just 130mm is incredible and to see the way in which the bollards stood up to the impact with the Mondeo, despite them being so shallow, was incredible.
“We achieved something special with our 200mm Glide Bollard system but we’re breaking new ground and, as we move closer to Martyn’s Law entering the statute books, an innovation as this will enable very many organisations to meet the requirements that will be expected of them.”
Established 18 years ago, Securiscape has a growing list of IWA-14 and PAS 68-rated street HVM security devices, including reinforced planters, bomb-proof litter bins, its SecuriPod system – a temporary defence which can be installed in minutes to protect pedestrians attending outdoor events.
It has also developed an ultra-shallow IWA-14-rated pedestrian guardrail that can stop vehicles from mounting the pavement and can even be installed on a bridge.
Its products have been installed in a host of towns and cities across the UK, including Leeds, Birmingham, Nottingham and London, where they have been used to protect the UK headquarters of two international banks and Brent Borough Council’s civic centre in Wembley.
