With over 7,000 people taking part in the inaugural Lord Mayor’s show parade in central London, and over 50,000 watching from the pavements, a road blocker was deployed to safeguard against a possible vehicle ramming attack. Surface Guard, developed by the road blocker, bollard and vehicle barrier product manufacturer ATG Access was installed on Waterloo Bridge, pictured looking south, on Saturday, November 11.
The system was deployed the product firm reports in just an hour and a half, to secure both ends of the bridge, meaning that road closures required prior to and during the event were kept to a minimum. Once the event finished at 6pm, the solution was removed so that the roads and bridge could be reopened that same evening. As the system does not need anchoring to the ground, no damage was caused to the road, central reservation or pavements, the makers add.
Surface Guard, which has been designed in response to recent vehicle ramming attacks across Europe, has been tested in accordance with the IWA 14 crash test standard. It is capable of withstanding an attack from a 2,500kg vehicle travelling at 48 kph (30mph), the makers report. Its modular design seeks to complement street furniture and adapt to changes in surface levels and road cambers. It also allows pedestrians to flow in and out. Once in place, wheelchair users, visitors with prams and mobility scooters were all able to pass through.
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. 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 over 50,000 people on the Waterloo bridge at this high profile and historic event. We were able to deploy and secure the whole bridge extremely quickly, and because of the flexible configuration and modular shape of Surface Guard, it meant that obstacles on the bridge weren’t an issue to manoeuvre around.
“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.”
