Road Blockers, Tyre Killers & Bollards

A boom barrier stops an honest driver. It does not stop a determined one. When the vehicle itself is the threat — a ram-raid on a bank, an unauthorised entry into a refinery, a forced exit from a toll lane — you need a barrier built to absorb impact, not to signal it.

These products are often confused with each other. They solve different problems, and most sites need a combination rather than one of them.

A common layout is a road blocker on the main entry lane, tyre killers on the exit lane, and bollards protecting the building forecourt.

A road blocker is a hydraulically driven steel barrier installed into a foundation pit in the roadway. When lowered it sits flush with the road and traffic passes over it. When raised it presents a solid steel face across the lane.

Key specifications we supply

• Surface: hot-dip galvanised and anti-skid top plate for wet-weather traction
• Safety: loop detectors, warning lights, audible alarm and emergency stop as standard

Control options

Road blockers can be operated from a guard console, by remote control, by RFID or number-plate recognition, or automatically from your parking management system. We normally supply a guard console plus one automatic method, so the guard always retains manual authority.

A tyre killer allows vehicles to pass freely in the permitted direction, while spikes deflate the tyres of any vehicle attempting to travel against it. Two types are common:

• Fixed (mechanical) tyre killers: spring-loaded spikes that fold flat in the permitted direction. No power required, very low maintenance, ideal for permanent one-way exits.
• Hydraulic tyre killers: spikes raised and lowered on command, so the lane can be used in both directions when required. Used at checkpoints and controlled exits.

Both are installed into a shallow foundation and are often paired with an automatic road barrier so that the barrier controls normal traffic and the spikes prevent tailgating or reversing.

Bollards are the right answer where a road blocker would be too aggressive and a boom barrier too weak — for example a hotel forecourt where you want vehicles stopped but the area to look open and welcoming.

• Automatic hydraulic bollards: powered rise and fall, controlled by remote, card or guard console
• Semi-automatic bollards: gas-spring assisted, lowered by key when access is needed
• Fixed and removable bollards: for permanent protection of walls, glass frontages and pedestrian areas

• Banks, ATM plazas and cash-handling facilities
• Government buildings, courts and secretariats
• Army, police and law-enforcement installations
• Oil, gas, chemical and power installations
• Airports, dry ports and logistics terminals
• Five-star hotels, embassies and consulates
• Gated housing societies with a high-security main entrance
• Factories and industrial estates with heavy goods traffic

1. Site survey: we measure the lane, check the traffic pattern, and identify the drainage, power and cable routes.
2. Threat and layout design: we recommend the blocking height, product type and lane arrangement for your risk level.
3. Civil works: excavation, foundation pit, drainage and conduit. This is the part most suppliers underestimate — we handle it ourselves.
4. Installation: unit set, hydraulic power pack positioned, cabling, loop detectors, lights and alarms.
5. Testing and handover: full cycle testing, emergency operation drill, and training for your security staff.
6. Support: scheduled maintenance of the hydraulics and seals, plus spares and call-out service.

Buyers often ask for a price before any site information. The honest answer is that these figures move with the design, so we quote after a survey. The main drivers are:

• Lane width and the number of lanes to be protected
• Blocking height and required impact resistance
• Normal versus emergency operating speed
• Extent of civil work, drainage and the condition of the existing road
• Surface finish, galvanising and whether stainless-steel cladding is required
• Location, site access and installation conditions