How We Designed a Dual Solar Boom Gate System for a 10-Metre Entrance in Fairfield NSW

Commercial boom gate projects often become more complex when several site requirements need to be solved at the same time.

On a recent project in Fairfield NSW, the client needed vehicle access control across an entrance approximately 10 metres wide.

That was only the first challenge.

There was also no suitable mains power available at the boom gate location, meaning the complete system needed to operate using solar power and batteries.

The client also wanted the entrance designed to encourage controlled vehicle movement, reduce speeding and tailgating, and better separate pedestrian movement from the boom-gate vehicle lane.

Rather than treating these as separate issues, we designed the project as one complete vehicle-access system.

The final solution incorporated:

• Two coordinated boom gates across the wide entrance

• Solar panels and battery power

• Control logic for coordinated operation

• Physical barriers to guide pedestrian movement

• Speed humps to reduce vehicle approach speed

• Appropriate signage

• A layout designed around controlled vehicle access

This project is a good example of why commercial boom gate design should begin with how the site actually needs to operate, not simply with selecting a barrier.

The First Challenge: A 10-Metre-Wide Entrance

A conventional commercial entrance can often be controlled with a single boom gate.

This site was different.

The required clear opening was approximately 10 metres, making a conventional single-arm arrangement impractical for the equipment and operating requirements selected for this project.

Instead, we designed a dual boom gate system.

One barrier was positioned on each side of the entrance, with the two systems configured to operate together as one coordinated access point.

For the driver, the result is straightforward:

Access command received → both barriers operate together → vehicle passes through → barriers return to the controlled position.

Behind that simple movement, however, the two systems need to be configured and commissioned correctly.

Why Two Boom Gates?

The objective was not simply to cover the physical width.

A wide commercial entrance also raises questions about:

• Boom arm length

• Barrier positioning

• Vehicle approach

• Opening and closing sequence

• Control synchronisation

• Safety devices

• Traffic flow

• Servicing access

Using two appropriately selected boom gates allowed the entrance to be controlled without trying to force one barrier to perform outside the intended design of the system.

This is an important principle in commercial gate automation:

The equipment should be selected around the site — not the site forced around the equipment.

The Second Challenge: No Mains Power

The location presented another significant constraint.

There was no suitable mains power supply available for the boom gate installation.

That meant the system needed to operate using:

Solar panels + battery storage + correctly configured boom gate equipment

Solar boom gates can be an effective solution for remote or difficult-to-power access points, but the design requires more consideration than simply adding a solar panel.

The power system needs to suit the way the boom gates will actually be used.

Why Boom Gate Usage Matters With Solar Power

Every opening and closing cycle consumes energy.

The required solar and battery arrangement therefore needs to consider factors such as:

• Expected number of daily operating cycles

• Boom gate equipment

• Control equipment

• Connected accessories

• Battery capacity

• Charging opportunity

• Site conditions

• Required operating reliability

A boom gate opening occasionally during the day presents a very different electrical requirement from a commercial entrance operating repeatedly.

For this reason, the boom gate operation and solar design had to be considered together.

Wide Entrance + Solar Power = One Integrated Design

These first two challenges were connected.

The project required:

Two boom gates

operating across

One approximately 10-metre entrance

while being powered by

Solar panels and batteries

and still providing

Coordinated opening and closing operation.

That is why commercial boom gate projects like this require proper planning before equipment is ordered.

The Third Challenge: Vehicle Behaviour

The client also wanted better control over how vehicles approached and moved through the entrance.

The aim was to discourage:

• Vehicles approaching too quickly

• Multiple vehicles attempting to pass during one access cycle

• Tailgating

• Poorly controlled movement around the barriers

The boom gates themselves were only one part of the solution.

The surrounding entrance layout also needed to support the intended behaviour.

Speed Humps and Signage

To help reduce approach speed and make the operating sequence clearer, the project incorporated speed humps and signage.

This is an important point.

A boom gate controls an access point, but the road environment approaching the barrier can influence how successfully that access point operates.

A vehicle approaching too quickly creates a very different situation from a vehicle arriving slowly and predictably.

The complete access design therefore needs to consider both:

Barrier operation

and

Vehicle approach behaviour.

Pedestrian Movement Also Needed to Be Considered

Another requirement was to discourage pedestrians from passing through the boom gate vehicle lane.

Boom gates are primarily vehicle-control devices.

Where pedestrian movement is expected around a commercial entrance, the physical layout should help guide people towards the intended pedestrian route rather than encouraging them to walk through the barrier operating area.

For this project, physical barriers and signage formed part of the overall site arrangement.

The objective was clearer separation between vehicle movement and pedestrian movement.

Tailgating Was Part of the Design Discussion

Another consideration was vehicles attempting to follow closely behind an authorised vehicle.

Where a commercial property expects one authorised vehicle at a time, the overall entrance design should support that operating requirement.

Depending on the site, this can involve a combination of:

• Boom gate control logic

• Vehicle detection

• Traffic layout

• Speed management

• Signage

• Access-control configuration

For this Fairfield project, the entrance was designed around more controlled, one-at-a-time vehicle movement rather than simply opening the barriers and allowing unrestricted traffic flow.

Commercial Boom Gates Are Part of a Larger System

This project demonstrates why we do not look at commercial boom gates as isolated pieces of equipment.

The final system involved several connected elements:

Vehicle approaches

↓

Access command is generated

↓

Two boom gates operate together

↓

Vehicle moves through the controlled entrance

↓

Traffic-management measures support appropriate speed and behaviour

↓

Boom gates complete the closing cycle

↓

Solar and battery system continues supporting the equipment

Every component has a role.

Commissioning the Dual Boom Gate System

Once installation was completed, the two barriers needed to be tested as a complete system.

This included checking:

• Coordinated opening

• Coordinated closing

• Correct operating sequence

• Reliable control commands

• Vehicle movement through the access point

• Solar-powered operation

• Battery-supported operation

• Safety equipment

• Repeated operating cycles

The purpose of commissioning is not simply to see the arms move once.

It is to confirm that the complete access system operates consistently as designed.

Why This Project Required More Than a Standard Boom Gate Installation

The client did not simply need:

“A boom gate.”

The actual requirement was:

Control a 10-metre-wide commercial entrance, without mains power, while also considering traffic speed, pedestrian movement and vehicle access behaviour.

Those requirements led to the final design.

Wide entrance

→ Two boom gates

No mains power

→ Solar and batteries

Coordinated access

→ Synchronised barrier operation

Vehicle speed

→ Speed humps

Pedestrian movement

→ Physical barriers and signage

Access behaviour

→ Controlled vehicle movement through the entrance

This is how commercial automation should be designed.

Start with the operational problem.

Then build the system around it.

Dual Solar Boom Gate Installation in Fairfield NSW

This Fairfield project demonstrates how several site constraints can be addressed within one coordinated boom gate solution.

The approximately 10-metre entrance required two boom gates.

The lack of mains power required a solar and battery system.

The client's operational requirements led to additional consideration of:

• Vehicle speed

• Traffic flow

• Pedestrian movement

• Tailgating

• Signage

• Physical traffic-management measures

The result was not simply two barriers installed across a driveway.

It was a site-specific commercial vehicle-access system designed around the way the client needed the entrance to operate.

For commercial and industrial properties, this is often the difference between simply supplying equipment and properly designing an access solution.