PRECAST CONCRETE FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

Servicing councils and commercial contractors since 1948, SVC’s team has decades of expertise in precast concrete fabrication. Customers can select from SVC’s Urban range of catalogue products, which include a variety of ready-to-order bollard designs. Reinforced concrete bollards are a great option for creating a threshold between pedestrian and vehicular traffic, as they provide a strong, intimidating barrier that discourages drivers from coming too close.

Apart from the standard range of catalogue bollards, SVC can also support designers searching for a more unique option. SVC’s design team provides technical advice on fully bespoke designs, specialising in translating 2D design concepts into viable built forms. In recent years, SVC has worked on a number of pedestrian safety projects as part of the City of Melbourne’s security upgrade, including custom seat bollards provided at Federation Square and along Princes Bridge.

When designing for pedestrian safety, bollards are not the only option available. If choosing to utilise precast concrete, landscape architects can incorporate other landscape elements such as concrete seating. Due to the inherent strength characteristics of reinforced precast concrete, a concrete bench seat would provide the same durability and robustness of concrete bollards, and also offer a secondary function – providing seating for pedestrians.

An additional product solution that has been used to provide pedestrian protection is SVC’s range of reinforced concrete planters. Made in large sizes to suit commercial applications, concrete planters are available in rectilinear and circular styles and provide a strong, durable container to house garden beds and greenery. Each individual planter weighs at least a few hundred kilograms, and their bulky aesthetic is a visual deterrent to drivers.

During the recent pandemic lockdowns in Victoria, several hospitality businesses extended their footprint outdoors and onto the road as part of Melbourne’s outdoor dining initiative, enabling safe physical distancing for diners. To ensure these outdoor dining spaces were safe from potential vehicular collision, various options were used to create protective barriers from the on-road traffic, including SVC planters as pictured below. These provided a strong physical barrier with the additional benefit of a beautiful, lush wall of greenery.

For more information about pedestrian safety solutions, contact SVC via the links below.