Retractable bollards in a Lidl car park – closing off parking spaces, creating a turning area

In the car park of a Lidl store there was the same problem day after day: the delivery lorry needs room to manoeuvre and turn – exactly where customers otherwise park. If the spaces were full at delivery time, parked cars blocked the turning area and the delivery ground to a halt.

The solution: retractable bollards from Braun Antriebe that close off exactly these spaces when required. In good time before the delivery, the bollards rise out of the ground and keep the area free – no car can park in between any more. When the lorry arrives, it has the whole area to itself for turning and manoeuvring. Once the goods have been unloaded, the bollards lower flush into the ground again, and the spaces immediately belong to the customers again.

The bollards are raised on the marked parking spaces – the turning area for the lorry is clear.

One area, two tasks

Many stores know the basic problem: the car park is tight, every space counts, and yet delivery traffic has to reach the loading ramp safely. A fixed barrier would have cost the spaces permanently. A gate or barrier arm does not suit an open customer car park, and anyone who has ever watched an articulated lorry manoeuvre between parked cars knows why it is better to solve the problem beforehand.

With the retractable bollards, the area now works twice: as a customer car park during the day and as a turning area for deliveries. Switching is done at the push of a button, and outside delivery times only the stainless steel lid lies flush in the paving.

View across the closed spaces: no car fits between the bollards, while shopping trolleys and pedestrians get through without any problem.

Update: three more bollards in front of the sliding gate

The system has since grown. On the other side of the car park, directly in front of the large sliding gate, there are now three more retractable bollards. They keep the spaces immediately in front of the gate free so that the passage is not blocked by parked cars and the gate can open at any time. The bollards were retrofitted into the existing paving – an example of how a bollard system can easily be extended later.

The new group of bollards in front of the sliding gate: three bollards, neatly set into the existing paving.

Clearly visible – even in the dark

A supermarket car park is often in use for hours at dusk and in winter while it is dark outside. That is why the bollards are fitted with surrounding LED lighting. Customers and drivers can see from a distance whether the area is closed, and the risk of overlooking a bollard is significantly reduced.

The system in the evening: the bollards' LED rings glow, and the closed-off area can be recognised at a glance.

Why compressed air is the right choice for a supermarket car park

Here the bollards are switched frequently, stand in road salt, rain and meltwater and occasionally get hit by a shopping trolley or a bumper. Our bollards work pneumatically: the bollard itself contains only a stainless steel cylinder, and the compressor and valves stand dry in the building. There are no electronics and no motor in the ground that could get wet. The bollards are sealed to IP69, the seals are designed for temperatures down to −35 °C, and the system needs neither a heater nor a drain.

Should a valve or the compressor need replacing after years, this is done in the building; every component sits on quick-release couplings. The car park stays closed, and business carries on. The material is V4A stainless steel (1.4571), manufactured in-house at our site in Seevetal near Hamburg. Overall, the system is very low-maintenance – even with many switching cycles a day.

Do you have a similar problem in your car park?

Whether retail, logistics area, fire brigade access or delivery zone: wherever an area sometimes needs to be open and sometimes closed, retractable bollards are the most flexible solution. Read more on our page Access management for businesses; another case involving supermarket customers parking where they should not is described here: Bollards secure the parking spaces of a residential complex.

Send us a photo of your area via WhatsApp to +49 172 4544485 or call us on +49 40 226390411. We will tell you how many bollards you need, where they should stand and which control system fits. You will find all models and prices in our overview retractable bollards made of stainless steel V4A.