Fold down bollards hinge at the base: open the lock and they lie flat so you can drive over, lift them and they lock upright to keep the space clear. Telescopic bollards do the same job by dropping straight down into a sleeve in the ground. Both stay on site, so there is no post to carry or lose. They are the usual answer for a reserved bay in a complex, a driveway shared with neighbours or a lane that opens several times a day. Tell us what you need and we pass it to independent installers nearby.
Fold-down or telescopic
A fold-down post is bolted to the surface or set on a small base, so it is quick to fit and suits a bay in an existing parking area. It lies on the ground when down, which some people trip over or clip with a low car. A telescopic post sits in a sleeve cast into the ground and drops almost flush, with only a cap showing. It needs more digging and a drain at the bottom of the sleeve, but leaves a cleaner surface. For a post you remove completely, see removable bollards. Either way, measure the low point of your own car and the ground clearance of visitors' cars before you choose, because some fold-down bodies lie higher than a sports car or a lowered hatch can clear.
Locks and keys
Most posts lock with a built-in key lock or a padlock through a hinge pin. A built-in lock is neater and harder to cut; a padlock is cheap to replace when the key gets lost. In a complex, ask the body corporate whether owners may fit their own posts, and whether a master key or a set of keys must stay with the managing agent for emergencies.
Where they work well
- Reserved and allocated bays in complexes and office parks
- A driveway that strangers keep using to turn or park
- Shared access roads between neighbouring properties
- Wheelchair bays that other drivers keep taking
For a whole car park, our parking bollards page covers fixed posts that protect walkways, columns and chargers.
Fitting and wear
A surface-mounted fold-down post is fixed with anchor bolts or a resin anchor into concrete; paving may need a small concrete pad first so the bolts hold. A telescopic sleeve is set in a footing like any cast-in post. Check for services under the slab before drilling. Hinges and locks wear and collect grit, so a squirt of lubricant now and then keeps them moving. These posts deter; a car driven into one will bend it. In a coastal complex, ask for galvanised or stainless parts, as salt air seizes a plain steel hinge within a few seasons. Bent hinges can often be replaced without lifting the base.
What to put in your request
- How many bays or openings need a post
- Fold-down or telescopic
- The surface: concrete, paving or tar
- Built-in key lock or padlock
- Whether the body corporate has approved it
Fold-Down and Telescopic Bollards for homes, businesses and public spaces
- Homeowners: a shared driveway or front bay kept clear with a post only the owner can lower
- Estates, complexes and body corporates: allocated bays in a complex with one lockable post per bay
- Shops, malls and petrol stations: manager and delivery bays at a small centre kept free for the right vehicle
- Offices, hotels and car parks: reserved bays in an office park basement or open parking
- Warehouses, factories and depots: a side lane or bay for a service vehicle kept closed between visits
- Municipalities and public spaces: access to a park or service road opened by parks staff with a key
- Schools, hospitals and campuses: reserved bays for doctors, staff and visitors with disabilities
- Contractors and event organisers: fold-down posts fitted to bays as part of a parking upgrade
Frequently asked questions
Will a fold-down bollard stop someone parking in my bay?
Can I fit a fold-down post myself?
Do telescopic bollards fill up with water?
Do you sell fold-down bollards?
Fold-Down and Telescopic Bollards by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg