What is the ideal distance between bollard lights?

Outdoor public lighting goes beyond simply lighting the way; it influences how we navigate, experience, and connect with the spaces around us. Whether it’s parks, university grounds, housing estates, or public walkways, a well-considered lighting design is important for boosting safety and crafting the right ambience.

A detail that often goes unnoticed? The distance between those exterior bollard lights. Misjudge it, and one might end up with shadowy areas or an inconsistent aesthetic. But if you get it spot on, the result is a smooth integration of practicality, efficiency, and visual charm.

What are exterior bollard lights?

Exterior bollard lights are those short, stout lighting fixtures you often see dotted around to light up walkways, the sides of roads, public parks, housing estates, and university campuses. They’re designed to sit fairly low to the ground—typically between 500mm and 1200mm in height—and they cast a focused, horizontal beam of light. This is great for improving visibility and safety without too much glare and overpowering the surroundings.

Now, they’re not the same as your typical outdoor post lights, which tend to be taller and often stand alone as a feature. Here’s a quick comparison to get your head around it:

Getting the spacing right is key to a successful lighting scheme. Whether the main aim is safety, creating a particular atmosphere, or saving energy, how far apart each bollard is placed has a direct impact on how evenly the light spreads across the area and how efficiently the electricity is used.

Factors affecting bollard spacing

The positioning of bollard lights needs to align with what the project’s aiming for, the desired lighting effect, and the specs of the bollards themselves. Good lighting design is about striking a balance between safety, keeping energy use down, and having a consistent look.

Design experts often rely on clever software and calculations – things like uniformity ratios, lux levels (that’s a measure of light intensity), and how wide the light spreads – to figure out the ideal distance between each bollard. 

While you’ll often see a general rule of thumb of 3 to 5 metres, that only really works if it takes into account a few crucial elements. Let’s have a look at the key things that influence how far apart bollard lights should be in actual projects:

1. Style and output of the bollard (e.g. full-glow, low-glare, etc.)

The way a bollard is styled has a big impact on where its light goes, and that, in turn, dictates how far apart you’ll need to put them.

• Directional types (like those with a louvre top): These send their light downwards, which is great for keeping light pollution down and stopping the night sky from getting too bright or causing glare. However, because the light is more focused, you’ll often need to put them closer together to avoid any dark spots.
• Full-glow designs: These chucks light out in all directions – a proper 360° spread. Because they cover a wider area, you can space them out a bit more. Just be careful not to go overboard, or you might end up with things being too bright or the pools of light overlapping.
• Low-glare optics or shielded lenses: These are just the ticket for housing estates or natural spots where you want a softer, less in-your-face kind of lighting.

One of our bollards at Hornbeck has a wide, shallow LED design specifically for lighting up footpaths. It’s got a low-glare, controlled output, so it gives a nice even spread of light when you pop them about 5 metres apart along nature trails or park paths, where the overall feel is more important than having super bright light. 

But, if you were to use the very same bollard in a town centre where people are walking about, you might need to put them closer together (say, around 3 metres apart) to make sure you’re meeting safety rules and standards.

2. Desired level of illumination: safety vs. ambience

Let’s have a look at how much light is needed, as that dictates the number of bollard lights you’ll need and how far apart they should be.

• Safety-focused lighting: You’ll find brighter lights with bollards closer together – generally around 3 metres apart – in busy spots like city parks, public footpaths, and the edges of car parks.
• Ambience-focused lighting: If you’re after a bit of atmosphere – think sculpture trails, country park paths, or landscaped gardens – you can often space the bollards out a bit more, say 5 metres or even further. 

The bottom line is, you should adjust the amount of light depending on how the area’s used and any potential risks.

3. Site-specific conditions: path width, terrain, surrounding light sources

When figuring out where to pop those bollard lights, the specifics of the site itself are jolly important.

• Path width: For those skinny footpaths, you might only need lights down one side. But if you’ve got a wider path or one where people are going both ways, you’ll likely need bollards on both sides or maybe staggered to get the light just right.
• Terrain and elevation: If the ground’s a bit wonky or sloping, you’ll get shadows cropping up. In those cases, you’ll probably need to put the bollards closer together to keep things nicely lit and safe for folks.
• Surrounding light sources: Have a look around at what lights are already there – street lamps, building lights, that sort of thing. They can help out the bollard lights, meaning you might be able to space them out a bit more or only put them in certain spots.

To get all this just so, landscape architects and builders often use clever software that shows how the light will spread. This helps them work out the best places for the bollards and make sure everything meets the proper lighting rules before they even start digging.

Recommended spacing guidelines for bollard lights

When you’re putting in those exterior bollard lights, a good general rule is to space them out somewhere between 3 and 5 metres. However, the exact distance within that range really hinges on what you’re trying to achieve with the lighting – be it safety, a bit of atmosphere, or a particular visual impact.

• Use 3-metre spacing in spots where you need things to be brighter. Think of town centre pavements, entrances to buildings, or busy areas where safety and being able to see clearly are important.
• Use 5-metre spacing when you’re after a more subtle feel. Country footpaths, landscaped gardens, or residential walkways that don’t see a lot of foot traffic and aren’t very brightly lit to begin with are good candidates for this.

Putting bollards too far apart can leave you with dark spots and breaks in the lighting, which isn’t ideal for safety or how things look. Conversely, cramming them in too close is a waste of electricity, pushes up the installation costs, and can make things too bright or cause glare.

Here’s a quick look at recommended spacing depending on where the lights are going:

These guidelines aren’t a universal solution, mind you, but they do provide a solid foundation for landscape architects, contractors, and local councils aiming to craft public spaces that are not only safe and pleasing to the eye but also mindful of energy use.

Choosing the right exterior bollard lights

Every aspect of the bollard – from the light it gives off and how it spreads, to what it’s made of and how it’s powered – will have a bearing on how well it does the job in the space you’ve chosen. You can only fine-tune your layouts once these fundamental choices have been made.

Here are the main things to think about:

• Material: For outdoor public spaces, you simply can’t skimp on toughness. Bollards need to hold up against the weather, general wear and tear, and the odd knock. Strong, vandal-proof materials such as galvanised steel or powder-coated aluminium are just the ticket for parks, university grounds, and town centres.
• Light source type: Bollard lights LED are pretty much the standard now for modern outdoor lighting. They last longer, need less looking after, and are far more energy-efficient compared to older halogen or fluorescent options. 
• Power supply: Bollards that plug into the mains offer a steady and reliable light, particularly in towns and cities and public areas. On the other hand, solar-powered bollards can be a good fit for more out-of-the-way paths or projects with a focus on being green, but you need to be careful where you put them to make sure they work properly.

At Hornbeck, our range of lighting bollards is specifically created for public spaces – from LED lights that don’t glare too much for residential areas or nature spots, to outdoor post lights mains-powered options that can cope with busy areas. 

If you’re not sure where to start, our team at Hornbeck (formerly Made by Landmark) can help with advice on your lighting layout or provide you with photometric data. Whether you’re specifying for a brand new housing estate or upgrading a public square, having accurate information means your design will work as it should, providing proper performance, not just a hopeful guess.

Final Takeaways

When it comes to figuring out the perfect distance between those outdoor bollard lights, it’s a bit of a balancing act. 

To nail it and get the best possible outcome, it’s well worth chatting with some lighting or landscape design experts. They can help you put together a plan that’s spot on for what you’re trying to achieve and the lay of the land.

If you’re in the process of planning a public area or a development, having a look at our selection of lighting bollards would be a cracking next move towards creating an outdoor space that’s safe, works well, and looks the business. Let’s have a chat!