Which Type Of Barricade Do I Need? A User’s Guide

Barricades are something that is so common in our lives that we don’t even realize how common they are. Everywhere you go, you’re sure to see at least a few of them. 

The last time you were at a music concert, there was a barricade between the audience and the stage. The last time you saw construct happening on the road, that area was sealed off with a barricade. The last time you took a walk down a busy road and saw an open manhole, there was a barricade around it. 

Barricades serve one very important purpose. They are meant to create an environment of safety. They are meant to eliminate or reduce the risk of injury or accident. They do this by firstly creating a physical block between us and the site of possible injury and secondly by giving us a visual cue that it’s not safe. 

The physical cue that barricades give us is so deeply instilled in all of us. Usually, when we see any type of barricade or area blocked off, we know that we need to turn back or go around it if possible. We don’t require somebody to physically stand there and tell us. We just know what these barricades mean. 

Now it’s best that you become aware of all the different kinds of barricades that are available. Understand what each of them is used for and which one to use in which scenario. Having this information would be very helpful in a scenario where you are in charge of crowd control. 

What are the three main kinds of barricades? 

1. Pedestrian Barricades 

These are barricades that are used to control large crowds. They are used in traffic situations or in areas where large groups of people congregate in one place. 

All kinds of organizations that see large groups of people pass through them use pedestrian barricades. Be it a school, a large business organization, a government, or a public organization. Using pedestrian barricades is always cheaper than hiring people to carry out crowd control work. 

Pedestrian barricades can either be permanent or portable. They come in four basic types. 

• Metal Barricades 

Metal barricades are the most commonly seen types of barricades. They are also known as bicycle barricades. They usually come in weatherproof steel or colored options that are coated with a waterproof powder. Under metal barricades, you have two kinds. 

Flat Feet barricades are the barricades that you would have seen at musical events, political rallies, or any big parades. These are made from steel (heavy duty), and they have a hollow center. This makes sure that they are light, resistant to weather conditions, and have a strong structure.

These barricades are the best option for streets in the city that are flat, pavements, and other flat surfaces. The flat feet design ensures that the barricade can grip the surface it is installed on. Check out our selection of Steel Barricades, we offer the largest selection in the industry.

Bridge feet barricades are called so because they come with ‘feet’ on either end that can grip the surface they are installed on. These are ideal for installing on uneven surfaces like musical concerts and other outdoor events. They also come in heavy-duty and the standard options. 

They come with two sets of feet. One large and one small. This ensures that they can be stacked on top of one another. This allows for a perpendicular layout. 

Do you need barricade swing gates? 

Metal barricades are usually laid out in a way where they are all interlocked. Taking one of them out from this interlocked chain could damage the structure of the whole line itself. In the event of an emergency, if people need to be let through the barricade, swing gates come in handy. 

For small groups of people to pass through, standard barricade swing gates will do the trick. If you expect large numbers of people to be passing through the barricades, you would need extra-wide barricade swing gates. 

• Plastic Barricades

If you are anticipating last-minute changes to the schedule, where you would need emergency crowd control in a blink, plastic barricades are the best. This is because they are made of light plastic that allows them to be moved around, put together, and taken apart quickly. 

If you don’t have too much space at the event to actually set up a full-fledged barricade and barrier, plastic barricades would be a great choice. They come in a variety of color choices. You can use the colors to match the colors of the event being conducted. 

Some larger plastic barricades can even be used as advertising space at the events that are being conducted. 

• Vinyl Event Fencing 

Vinyl event fencing comes in handy if you are looking to maintain crowds, but also to bring in an element of class and to keep the event fancy. Golf tournaments, outdoor weddings, country clubs, and so on make use of vinyl event fencing. 

You can use them to create an interlocking barrier. They have swiveling legs that make them the ideal barricade to use when the event is being conducted on an uneven surface. 

• Sports Panel PVC Fencing 

These are mainly used to create temporary barricades at sporting events, schools, and for events in parks. They are useful in places where the area is not too large and space is used for multiple events and purposes. 

For example, in a school where there is only one sports ground. They may be using the ground for many different kinds of sports and to conduct other events. Using sports panel PVC fencing, the area of the ground can be increased or decreased as per the need of the event. 

1. Traffic Barricades 

As the name suggests, traffic barricades are used for the purpose of road safety. They are mainly used to control traffic. They may be used to warn commuters of an accident nearby, mark out hazards in construction sites, for the creations of roadblocks, and to designate pick-up and drop-off areas in schools. 

The majority of traffic barricades come in bright orange colors with white stripes that are reflective. This is to ensure that they are visible day and night. Traffic barricades come in five basic types. 

• Traffic cones 

The most common among all traffic barricades. You can use them to create a safe area within an instant. These are the normal orange cones that you would have seen being used almost everywhere. 

The biggest benefit of cones is their convenience to move around. They are light, can be stacked and moved around in no time. They’re also very easy to store. The only drawback when it comes to using traffic cones is that they aren’t weather resistant. 

A very small gust of wind could blow them away from wherever you placed them. There’s also the issue that since they are so easy to pick up, you could find people stealing them just for the sake of it. 

• A-Frame Barricades 

A-Frame Barricades come with triangle-shaped joints on either end that are joined by a plank in the middle. These also come in the standard orange with reflective white stripes for easy visibility. 

A-Frame Barricades are generally used at construction sites or to indicate the presence of an open manhole or ongoing sewer or drainage work. The triangular joints make them a good option to use on uneven surfaces. 

• Jersey Barriers 

Jersey Barriers are barriers that are made of plastic or concrete. They are used to separate various traffic lanes and to ensure minimum damage if a vehicle comes into contact with it in any way. They can also be used to convey to pedestrians that they are in or near a construction site. 

Once plastic jersey barriers are placed in their designated location, they are filled with water or sand to weigh them down. They are made as heavy as possible to ensure that any vehicle making contact with it will be deflected from it. 

• Traffic Barrels 

These are also known as construction barrels or drum barrels. They are used in areas where it isn’t feasible to use jersey barriers. They are huge barrels that look a lot like giant traffic cones. They are ideal when they are used on roads with high levels of traffic. 

They come with a rubber base that helps them to stay up when coming into contact with a vehicle or if exposed to extreme weather conditions. They also have a holder on top where you can attach a reflective light that will be clearly visible to commuters at night. 

• Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 Barricades 

All these three are very similar in structure. They are created by two panels being joined together and then linking them via hinges at the top. 

Whether they are Type 1, Type 2, or Type 3 barricades depends on how many reflective rails they have on both sides of the frame. The type indicates the number of reflective frames. 

They are used when work is being done in public areas and on roadways where the traffic congestion may not be too high. 

1. Expanding Length Barricades 

Expanding Barricades come in two kinds, based on the kind of material used to make them. They are either metal or plastic. 

When you aren’t aware of the precise length of the perimeter you need to create, or if you need to create a perimeter with varying lengths and angles, these are the best option. 

Since they come with pull levers on either side, they are very easy to adjust based on the requirement. They are used in places like factories and work areas because there could be varying areas that need to be barricaded. 

Now you have an oversight of the different kinds of barriers that are available. The next time you are tasked with handling large crowds, you will be armed with knowledge about the different kinds of barriers and what purpose each of them serves. 

What barricade do you need? 

Now the kind of barricade that you require depends completely on the event that you are in charge of. You would require a lot of details planned out. You need to do a lot of groundwork and research beforehand. This ensures that you aren’t unplanned for any event that may transpire. 

Some of the things that you would want to keep in mind before going into crowd control at an event are: 

• Kind of event taking place 
• Will there be VIPs? 
• Size of the crowd 
• Duration of the event 
• Safe exits for VIPs and crowds 
• Areas to barricade 

If you keep these things in mind, then you will be much more prepared to carry out crowd control at a large event. If you have this information with you, you will be able to plan out the event beforehand, allowing you to decide what kinds of barriers you would need. 

This gives you time to purchase or rent the barriers that you require with time to spare. Don’t leave it to the last minute. If the barricades you require aren’t available, you would be compromising the safety of the crowds. 

In conclusion 

Barricades are an integral part of crowd control and safety. Whether it is a set of traffic cones that are used to warn people about an open manhole cover or construction work to helping stop large accidents on roads. 

It is extremely crucial that those who work in safety have all this information down like the back of their hand. They are in charge of the safety of huge crowds of people. The type of barricade they choose and where they choose to put them could be the difference between life and death. 

The next time you are in charge of people’s safety, you can be confident. You have all the information you need to ensure that the event, however large or small, will be conducted safely. Now that you’ve read this, the crowd at your next event is in safe hands.