Decision guide
Wheel stops vs bollards: which do you need?
Short answer: Use a wheel stop where a car parks head-on to a wall, kerb, walkway or planter: it stops the wheels at a set point inside the bay. Use a bollard where you need to mark, delineate or keep cars out of an area, or where the space must open for access (a removable bollard). Many car parks need both. Neither is a barrier against fast or deliberate impact.
Figures: SafeWise product data. Standards are quoted as commonly cited guidance, so check the current edition. How we check
A wheel stop locates a car in its bay; a bollard marks and keeps cars out of a space. Here is how to choose, and when to fit both.
Updated 28 October 2026
On this page: What each does · By situation · When you need both · Products and prices · What neither will do · FAQs
Two different jobs
What each one actually does
A wheel stop locates the wheels
- Sits at the head of the bay and stops the car's wheels at a set point.
- Keeps the overhang off whatever lies beyond the bay at parking speed: a wall, footpath or landscaping.
- The setback depends on the obstruction and on nose-in or reverse-in parking: see wheel stop setbacks from walls and kerbs (AS/NZS 2890.1), and check the current edition.
- One per bay, centred, kept low (the commonly cited maximum height is 100mm).
A bollard marks and keeps out
- A visible post that shows where a space starts and stops.
- Deters cars at parking speed from a path, door, meter box, driveway or reserved space.
- Can be removable, so the space opens for a delivery or a resident: see removable vs fixed bollards.
- Does not set where a car stops in a bay, and is not designed to stop a vehicle at speed.
The simplest test: is the problem a car stopping in the wrong place inside a bay, or a car going somewhere it shouldn't? The first is a wheel stop. The second is a bollard.
By situation
Which to use, situation by situation
A starting point for six common layouts. Your designer, certifier or council has the final say.
| Situation | Wheel stop | Bollard | Our suggestion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bays against a wall | Wheel stop, set back so the car's overhang clears the wall | Only for a fixture on the wall, such as a meter box, pipe or door | Wheel stop |
| Bays facing a walkway | Wheel stop at the setback, so the nose stays off the path | Add if the walkway is a busy pedestrian route or has glass or a door beside it | Often both |
| End of a row | Wheel stop in the end bay as in every other bay | Marks the end of the row and the corner of the aisle | Both are common |
| Loading dock | Our 1650mm stop is sized for a car bay, not a truck dock | Marks a door edge or pedestrian route at low speed. Not a forklift barrier | Bollard, plus dock-specific equipment we don't supply |
| Accessible bay | Keeps vehicles out of the shared area and access aisle | 1300mm bollard in the shared area, as commonly summarised from AS 2890.6 (2022 edition, which replaced AS/NZS 2890.6:2009; check the edition your certifier uses) | Both |
| Driveway or reserved space | Not the right tool: nothing to locate wheels against | Removable bollard that locks the space and lifts out for access | Bollard |
Setbacks and heights quoted from AS/NZS 2890.1 and AS 2890.6 are commonly cited summaries. Check the current edition before you rely on them.
Using both
When you need both
The usual pairing is a wheel stop in every bay and bollards where something else needs keeping clear. Typical cases:
- Bays facing a pedestrian path or entry. The wheel stop positions the car; a bollard shows the edge of the path and keeps a slow, mistaken car off it.
- Accessible bays. The wheel stop keeps vehicles out of the shared area; a bollard marks it. The bollard spacing guide covers the commonly cited 1300mm height.
- Reserved bays. A wheel stop locates the car; a removable bollard locks the space against others. The car park safety checklist covers key control.
- Columns, meters and doors beside a bay. Bollards mark the fixture and deter low-speed contact; the wheel stop keeps the car from nosing into it.
Pricing a job like this? Send sizes, quantities and your postcode.
Request a quoteProducts and prices
What SafeWise supplies
Prices as at October 2026. Per-unit starting points in AUD, ex GST and freight. Volume (pallet or container) is quoted individually.
| Product | Size | From (ex GST) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rubber Wheel Stop (SW-WS1650) | 1650 × 150 × 100mm, approx. 12kg, yellow reflective strips | $50 | Pre-order |
| Fixed Bollard 90mm (SW-FB90) | Ø89, 900mm tall, base plate Ø225 × 8mm | $80 | Pre-order |
| Fixed Bollard 140mm (SW-FB140) | Ø140, 1300mm tall, base plate Ø250 × 8mm | $110 | Pre-order |
| Removable Bollard 90mm (SW-RB90) | Ø90, 900mm above ground, in-ground socket, key lock | $120 | Pre-order |
| Removable Bollard 140mm (SW-RB140) | Ø140, 900mm above ground, in-ground socket, key lock | $140 | Pre-order |
| Storage Holder 90mm / 140mm (SW-SL90 / SW-SL140) | Bolt-down fitting that parks a removed bollard | $25 / $35 | In stock |
An illustrative car park: 10 bays with a wheel stop each is 10 × $50 = $500. Add two fixed 90mm bollards at a walkway edge (2 × $80 = $160) for $660 ex GST. That is steel and rubber only: freight to your postcode, anchors (not included) and installation are extra. SafeWise supplies only. General Australian contractor guides put bollard installation at roughly $250–$700 each, so see the bollard cost guide before you budget.
The wheel stop and all four bollards are pre-order for the next container, with the expected landing date on your quote. Quotes are in writing, and nothing is committed until you confirm the quote. Browse the rubber wheel stops (or count your bays, or read the rubber wheel stops buying guide), fixed bollards and removable bollards.
Be clear on the limits
What neither one will do
Safety and delineation bollards: not impact-tested or certified to hostile-vehicle standards such as PAS 68 or IWA 14. A SafeWise bollard has a 3mm carbon-steel wall and is made to mark, delineate and deter at parking speed. A rubber wheel stop works on the same basis. Neither is a ram-raid or forklift barrier.
If the real risk is a vehicle driven at speed, or a heavy vehicle or forklift working beside the area, you need an engineer's advice, not a different colour of post. Our shopfront bollards guide sets out the difference. Also keep a wheel stop out of pedestrian paths, where it becomes a trip hazard.
FAQs
Wheel stops and bollards: common questions
Do I need a wheel stop or a bollard for a car bay?
For a car bay you need a wheel stop first: the SafeWise Rubber Wheel Stop 1650mm (SW-WS1650) stops the wheels at a set point inside the bay, from $50 ex GST. Add a bollard only where something beyond the bay needs marking or keeping clear, such as a pedestrian path, door, meter box or accessible shared area.
Can SafeWise bollards replace wheel stops?
Not for positioning cars in bays. A SafeWise safety bollard marks and delineates a spot and keeps cars at parking speed out of an area, but it does not locate a car's wheels in the bay the way a wheel stop does. Use the SW-WS1650 wheel stop in the bay and bollards beside or beyond it where needed.
How far from a wall should a wheel stop sit?
Figures commonly cited from AS/NZS 2890.1:2004 put a SafeWise wheel stop 820mm from a wall for nose-in parking and 1100mm for reverse-in parking. The full table, including low kerbs, is in the wheel stop installation guide. Check the current edition of the standard and your site drawings before fixing anything.
Do I need both at an accessible parking bay?
Often, yes. Wheel stops are used at accessible spaces to keep vehicles out of the shared area and access aisle, and AS 2890.6 is commonly summarised as a 1300mm bollard beside the bay. SafeWise's SW-FB140 fixed bollard is 1300mm tall, but SafeWise does not claim compliance, so check the current edition.
Are SafeWise wheel stops and bollards in stock?
The SafeWise wheel stop and all four bollards are pre-order for the next container, with the expected landing date given on your quote. Factory production typically takes 15 to 20 days plus sea freight and customs clearance. Bollard storage holders are in stock in Melbourne.
Will a SafeWise wheel stop or bollard stop a vehicle driven into a wall or shopfront?
No. SafeWise bollards are safety and delineation bollards: not impact-tested or certified to hostile-vehicle standards such as PAS 68 or IWA 14. Both products work at parking speed, so a ram raid or forklift strike needs engineered, crash-rated equipment that SafeWise does not sell.
Fitting out a car park?
Send us the number of bays, any bollards you want and your delivery postcode. We aim to reply within one business day.
Related guides
Keep reading
- Wheel stop installationSetbacks, fixings and bay positioning
- Rubber wheel stops buying guideSize, material, fixing and cost per bay
- Bollard spacingClear gaps, centres and accessible bays
- Car park safety checklistA checklist for walking a car park
- Removable vs fixed bollardsLift-out or permanent
- Driveway bollardsKeeping a driveway or space clear
- Bollard cost in AustraliaSupply and install price ranges
- Safety vs crash-rated bollardsWhat the ratings mean
- Car park bollardsWhere bollards go in a car park
- Lockable parking bollardsReserve your own car space
- Trade & bulk supplyVolume quotes, pallet and container pricing, freight