The 2018 London Marathon on Sunday, April 22, saw 35,000 runners and thousands more spectators. A road block was deployed to guard against a possible vehicle attack.
Surface Guard, which was developed by the blocker, bollard and vehicle barrier product firm ATG Access, was installed on each side of Parliament Square (pictured; with Whitehall on the right; the House of Parliament behind). Install at each end of the square was in one hour, keeping road closures, prior to and during the event, to a minimum. After the event, the product was removed so that the roads and bridge could be reopened an hour after the finish. As the system does not need anchoring to the ground, no damage was caused to the road or pavements, the manufacturer adds.
The company says the product has been designed in response to vehicle ramming attacks around Europe, and has been tested in accordance with the IWA 14 crash test standard. It is capable of withstanding an attack from a 7,200kg lorry travelling at 32 kph, and has a lightweight modular design for install, transport and storing, the makers add. It’s designed to complement street furniture and blend into the background; it was manned over the day and saw crowds walking through, including prams, wheelchair users and bicycles.
Glenn Cooper, CEO of ATG Access, said: “The need for increased security at temporary events has been heightened after the recent surge in vehicle attacks across Europe and further afield. It is now more crucial than ever that people feel secure and protected when visting public events, but solutions used must cause minimal disruption to daily life to prevent creating a ‘fortress mentality’. Our innovative Surface Guard System was deployed to protect thousands of people at one of the country’s largest and most popular sporting events. We were able to deploy and secure the whole square extremely quickly, and because of the flexible configuration and modular shape of Surface Guard, it meant that obstacles weren’t an issue to manoeuvre around.
“Surface Guard is still a new innovation for the security market in comparison to traditional concrete blockades and national barrier asset steel barricades. We firmly believe that this solution will prevent against further vehicle attacks, and will make safeguarding the public at temporary events easier and more robust for organisers.”
Since the launch of Surface Guard, eight months ago, it has already been deployed at the official reopening of Motcomb Street in London, the Lord Mayor’s show in London and Premier League football stadiums. Visit: www.atgaccess.com.
