While it can take a lot of force to create a true physical barrier which is strong enough to impede a vehicle, it actually takes very little, and very little cost to control the flow of traffic. This is because the implication of a barrier is often just as effective as a physical barrier itself. Drivers don’t want to crash, after all, nor do they want to end up caught in dead ends or unsafe roads. Drivers want to know where they should and shouldn’t go.
For this reason, an inexpensive and simple plastic chain is sometimes all that’s needed to direct traffic safely, but it can depend on the environment. In this post, we’ll talk about the 8 reasons you might want to use a plastic chain, (and the advantages of using a plastic chain barrier.)
1. Plastic Chain Barriers Are Inexpensive
At less than a dollar per foot, plastic chains like these for sale online or in hardware stores are among the cheapest possible ways to block off restricted access areas. If a standard traffic cone costs somewhere around $8 or $9, you could have 9 feet of plastic chain for that same price, which would be more than enough to block off a sidewalk or doorway. An A-Frame barricade on the other hand is closer to $80, the cost equivalent to dozens of feet of plastic chain.
2. Plastic Chain Barriers Are Versatile
While an A-Frame barricade is typically reserved for road construction and traffic safety purposes, plastic chains can be seen in so many contexts, indoor or outdoor. Available in the same traffic-safety colors you’d see in more serious barriers like yellow, red, and orange, they can be effective visual barriers in parking lots and sidewalks to make pedestrians and vehicles aware of construction areas. Or they could also be used to close off seating areas in indoor dining, churches, libraries, and more. Part of this extreme versatility is due to how easy it is to move and set up this barrier, which we’ll discuss next.
3. Plastic Chain Barriers Require No Special Skills to Set Up
Since plastic chains are made of extremely simple plastic links, they can be looped, tied, or hooked very easily among a facility’s existing structures. Even trees could serve as the posts for this kind of barrier. As long as something exists to loop the chain link around or tie the chain to, the setup is extremely easy and requires no skilled labor or special installations. Hooks may function best, but this is no more complicated an installation process than hanging a picture frame.
3. Plastic Chain Barriers Are Lightweight
The simplicity is also somewhat due to the chain’s extreme lightness. This makes chain barriers easy to store and transport. Even fifty feet of the plastic chain may still only weigh a few pounds.
5. Plastic Chain Barriers Are Typically Weather-Resistant
Most plastic chains are designed with UV protective plastic. This technology makes chains last longer in the elements without fading or breaking. Naturally, the plastic is already waterproof, but you would be surprised how tough prolonged sun exposure can be to materials which aren’t treated in some way. UV protection is important in keeping plastics like this from cracking or breaking quickly.
6. Plastic Chain Barriers Are Effective
As mentioned in the introduction of this post, in many cases a visual barrier is all that’s needed for pedestrians and drivers to understand where they should and shouldn’t traverse. Especially when brightly visible or even fluorescent colors are used, plastic chains are effective visual barriers.
In fact, here are some of the common uses for plastic chain barriers.
- Construction workers sometimes use plastic chains in combination with traffic barrels and delineators posts in order to create a continuous barrier which is highly visible and sturdy.
- This may also be a common combination for parking lots, sidewalks, or other outdoor pedestrian spaces which might need to block off worksites.
- People use these chains on their private properties as well, especially folks with driveways or parking spots which may be in close proximity to a popular local site. Plastic chains can effectively block off a driveway while being easy to remove when needed by the homeowner themselves.
- For indoor spaces like universities, museums, and libraries which might have hallways or doorways which should be closed off at certain points in time, it may be more likely to pair the plastic chains with plastic post Stanchion. These plastic posts are more attractive then a delineator post, (especially when the colors coordinate with the interior space), but are still quite cost effective. Sometimes these plastic posts and chains are sold in kits for easy stanchion and chain set up.
In summary, here are the primary advantages of using plastic chain over other barrier alternatives:
- Cost Effectiveness
- Versatility
- Ease of Installation
- Lightweight Design
- Durability
- Effectiveness
If you’re uncertain whether or not plastic chain barriers are sufficient for your private home or business, contact the sales team at a crowd control supplier like Crowd Control Warehouse for more information.
