A New Solution for Street Safety

Pedestrian barriers are routinely used for a wide range of protective purposes, including controlling crowds, directing the flow of pedestrian traffic and diverting people away from restricted areas.

They are commonly seen on construction sites, to create a safe barrier between site operatives and the public, at public events for crowd control purposes, and to provide safe and secure access for vehicles and pedestrians where road traffic works are being carried out.

What are centipede barriers?

Centipede barriers are a new portable expanding pedestrian barrier, which can be used for crowd control and for cordoning off areas.

Manufactured for indoor and outdoor use, centipede barriers are extendable up to 2100mm and retract to a neat 400mm width for easy storage. The barriers are effortless to install and reposition which make them an ideal solution for School Streets schemes, where temporary set up and removal is required twice a day throughout the working week.

A modern touch

Centipede barriers can be manufactured in a range of colours and their eye-catching design strikes the right balance between corporate and commercial. They are extremely durable and, being made from aluminium, are rust resistant so can be used in all weathers. Complete with rubber wheels at all touchpoints (unlike their predecessor the turtlegate barrier), centipede barriers won’t scratch or scrape underneath like other barriers can meaning they will last – and look better – for longer.

Safety barriers in action

School Streets is an initiative designed to limit vehicle access during school drop off and pick times, and improve student health, wellbeing and safety.

Enfield Council approached SafeSite Facilities to support the return of its School Streets pilot initiative, following the first national lockdown. Additional social distancing measures were required so the 12 schools involved in the trial could remain fully operational when pupils returned to school.

The additional safety measures included setting up strategically-placed oak planters to create a safe space for volunteer marshalls to be positioned along nearby streets. The planters also acted as an ‘above the ground’ anchor support for poles and signage promoting the scheme.

Limiting crowding along the school routes and in the school playgrounds was essential; not only to make students feel safer and confident in the space, but to ensure social distancing. Traffic cones and centipede barriers were used to ensure pedestrian traffic could pass by securely and at a safe distance.

Kingfisher Academy in Enfield is one school who has taken part in the School Streets trial. They have seen measurable improvements in air quality since taking part in the scheme and Matt Clifford, Head teacher, has hailed the initiative “transformational for the wellbeing of pupils, staff and parents in a remarkably short space of time.”

Craig Nicol, Healthy Streets and Complimentary Measures Manager, Enfield Council has spoken of the success of the scheme, which saw 12 trial schools all fully operational in just eight weeks.

“This was against the very challenging backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as having to meet strict criteria for Government funding, and provide additional social distancing measures to the schools”, Nicol said.

“We are immensely proud that we were able to deliver this project, working entirely remotely over MS Teams, with the only face-to-face elements delivered being site assessments and barrier training carried out by staff and suppliers”, he added.

“We are delighted to have helped a large number of organisations to ‘get back to businesses’ safely during the pandemic”, said Greig McGarva, Hire and Sales Team Leader, SafeSite Facilities.

“We were particularly pleased to be able to support the return of Enfield Council’s School Streets scheme, which has the dual benefit of helping students get to school safely as well as positively benefitting children’s health and mental wellbeing by encouraging active travel. Reducing the reliance on public and private transport should also hopefully lead to improved road safety”, McGarva added.

For more information about the School Streets scheme click here.

To find out more about the traffic management solutions available from SafeSite Facilities click here.