Entry Barrier Gates at Oak Brook Club
Capital Business offered some of its pluses and minuses of living in a residential gated community in an older article titled “The Pros and Cons of Gated Communities #PropertyInsights“. Security was at the top of the positives.
The article defines a residential gated community as having: “…controlled access using one or more gates that residents or visitors must pass through.” Some are automatic (electronic) while some have physical security guards monitoring access and even egress. They all meet the criteria of having barriers and barrier gates that limit access and egress to the community.
These features are listed among the positive attributes of gated residential communities:
- They are secure through controlled entry
- There is less traffic and thus less noise
- There are rules that must be followed
- There may be additional amenities exclusive to the residents
On the other side of the coin:
- The cost factor is higher due to maintenance and operations.
- Arriving guests may be inconvenienced
- Location may be further from conveniences and services
The article also warns of a false sense of security surrounding residential gated communities.
Just this past February we reported “Gated Residential Communities | Secure Communities | US Census”. (Note: I have also addressed the topic in several other blog posts.)
This 2009 report analyzed over 130 million occupied housing units. Approximately 8.3% of those units were defined as secure where “Community access (is) secured with walls or fences.” This percentage is almost equally divided into owner occupied units and renter occupied units. Some secure communities sometimes have special entry systems, such as key cards or entry codes. Some even have security guards to grant access.
ECI services many Residential Gated Communities in the Chicago area. We focus on the safety and security aspects of access to these communities. We sell and install such devices as barrier gates, guard booths, access control systems, intercoms, vehicle detector loops, RFID (radio frequency identification devices), gates operators, etc.
Call ECI today at 847.949.0134 to schedule an assessment, discuss service or maintenance on current equipment. Or click below for direct contact information.
