Which standard applies to vehicle access protection in Germany?

There is no statutory standard. DIN SPEC 91414-2 and ISO 22343-2 are technical rules for planning and operation, the ProPK guides are police recommendations, PAS 68 and IWA 14 are test classes for restraint performance. A rule becomes binding through a condition, contract or security concept.

Fixed bollards or mobile barriers?

Permanent entrances to the pedestrian zone get retractable bollards with permissions; events for a limited time get mobile barriers whose state MobiLink monitors. Both run on the same platform, so operation and evidence do not drift apart.

How do residents and emergency services get through?

Via permissions by installation group, time of day and special right: residents by license plate or RFID, emergency vehicles by public safety radio or AI vehicle recognition. Violations can be turned into fine processing, as in Trier.

Vehicle access protection for city centers

Vehicle access protection is the protection of squares, pedestrian zones and events against vehicle attacks. It consists of barriers that stop a vehicle, and of operation: who may pass when, who opens, and how that is evidenced.

After the vehicular attack in December 2020, the City of Trier developed a security concept for its city center: retractable bollards, access permissions by installation group, time of day and special rights, fine processing for violations. The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is equipping the entire city with bollard systems, controlled from the isolated city network.

BarrierSystems supplies the control and the platform. The barrier systems themselves come from partners such as ZABAG Security Engineering and Consel Group, who are also responsible for the barrier’s classification.

Fixed barriers

Retractable bollards and barriers at permanent access points. The SmartKit controls them regardless of manufacturer; the MONOLITH control column houses license plate camera, RFID reader and intercom.

Mobile barriers

For street festivals, markets and events. MobiLink reports state and location of existing barriers via radio sensor, without modification and without a power connection; operations are logged with operator evidence.

One platform

Fixed and mobile barriers appear on the same map in the ControlHub. Permissions by group, time and special right, fault reports in real time, message archive as operating evidence; optionally on-premise without internet access.

Fixed or mobile barriers?

Permanent access to the pedestrian zone: Retractable bollard with control: residents, suppliers and emergency vehicles get permissions, everyone else stays out. Trier operates 23 access systems this way.
Event for a limited time: Mobile barriers that are set up, opened and removed again. MobiLink shows open, closed or missing per barrier location and replaces patrol drives.
Emergency vehicles: Fire brigade, ambulance and police open via public safety radio or are recognized by AI from their appearance: fire and emergency access.
Deliveries: Time windows per installation group, exceptions documented: delivery zones and pedestrian zones.

Standards and evidence

DIN SPEC 91414-2 and ISO 22343-2 describe planning, implementation and operation of vehicle access protection concepts; the “protection against vehicle attacks” guides of the German police crime prevention program (ProPK) treat access protection as an ongoing risk management process with responsibilities, operating log and documentation of special events. ISO 22343-1 classifies a barrier’s restraint performance in the crash test; the older class statements under PAS 68 and IWA 14 still appear on many installed barriers, but both documents have been withdrawn since 2023.

None of these rules is a law; something becomes binding through a condition, contract, tender or the specific security concept. The German duty to maintain safety (section 823 BGB) requires reasonable protective measures and attention to their effectiveness. The ControlHub provides the operating history for this: openings, messages and operations per installation with a timestamp. More under standards and legal framework; the overview does not replace legal advice.

Vehicle access protection in practice

City of Trier, from 2023: Security concept after the 2020 vehicular attack; 23 access systems, the first three bollard systems in the pedestrian zone in operation since March 2024, fine processing included, together with ZABAG: Trier reference.
Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, since 2024: Bollard systems across the city; ControlHub on a municipal server, SmartKits in the isolated city network with municipal SIM cards, installations at Berta-Kröger-Platz and Neuer Wall, with Consel: Hamburg reference.
City of Karlsruhe, since 2020: The first smart bollards: a rigid construction-site closure that even emergency vehicles could not pass was replaced by three access systems that prioritize cyclists: Karlsruhe reference.

Questions about vehicle access protection

Which standard applies to vehicle access protection in Germany?: There is no statutory standard. DIN SPEC 91414-2 and ISO 22343-2 are technical rules for planning and operation, the ProPK guides are police recommendations, PAS 68 and IWA 14 are test classes for restraint performance. A rule becomes binding through a condition, contract or security concept.
Fixed bollards or mobile barriers?: Permanent entrances to the pedestrian zone get retractable bollards with permissions; events for a limited time get mobile barriers whose state MobiLink monitors. Both run on the same platform, so operation and evidence do not drift apart.
How do residents and emergency services get through?: Via permissions by installation group, time of day and special right: residents by license plate or RFID, emergency vehicles by public safety radio or AI vehicle recognition. Violations can be turned into fine processing, as in Trier.

Discuss your protection concept

In 30 minutes we show how Trier and Hamburg manage their access points, and which building blocks fit your security concept.

Book a demo (30 minutes)

Or describe your access point to us by e-mail to info@barriersystems.de.