Crowd Control Barriers

Definition of Crowd Control Barriers

Crowd control barrier is a name commonly used for the various types of barrier used for forming waiting lines or for restricting access. In fact, of the many types of barrier that are included in this category only one, the 8ft ‘bike rack’ barricade is really designed for controlling crowds, the rest are actually guidance products, designed to show customers where to stand or to indicate ‘off limits” areas. Let’s look at the various types of barrier and what their uses are.

Queue Barriers

The first category in the ‘crowd control’ sector is queuing or waiting line management. For this application the retracting belt barrier has become ubiquitous and is seen wherever people are standing in line. Originally developed in the 1970’s from car seat belt technology, this barrier type was first used in Heathrow Airport in London and has since spread around the world and to every type of venue from retail stores to stadiums. The retracting belt barrier has the advantage of not having to store and handle a detachable 6ft long rope making this barrier preferred over the traditional rope stanchion for most queuing applications.

Belt stanchions have developed over the past 40 years and now there is a wide array of options. One, two or three belts, a variety of belt lengths, multiple colors and finish options and portable, fixed or removable bases are just some of the choices available to suit specific applications.

Safety Barriers

The second major use for retracting belt barriers is in safety applications. Here the barrier is used to restrict access to construction, maintenance, cleaning or other work areas. Of course any product used to restrict access can be called a safety barrier but we normally limit this category to products that are custom made for safety use and that is indicated by OHSHA safety colors of yellow, orange or red.

Safety barriers need to be robust and weather proof as many of the key safety uses are outside. Another key difference with queuing barriers is that safety barriers are often set up in long, straight runs rather than in the ‘zig zag’ or ‘snake’ used for queueing for this application the longer the belt the better as a long belt means fewer barriers to purchase and handle. So, the ideal safety barrier has heavy duty construction, is weatherproof, comes in high visibility colors and has an extra length belt.

Rope Barriers

The traditional post and velvet rope stanchion is the original crowd control barrier whose ancestry goes back to the turn of the century. Now surpassed by the retracting belt barrier for most high volume queueing applications the rope barrier is still preferred in certain high end environments like hotels, casino, theaters and, of course, red carpet events. Within these environments the discrete nature of the rope barrier makes them ideal for both queuing and restricting access.