The official reopening of Motcomb Street in London had protection against vehicle terrorist attacks, from a road block system deployed. The ‘Step onto Motcomb Street’ event, in Belgravia on September 27, was attended by 5,000 people, including MasterChef judge Marcus Wareing and Alexandra Dudley, Instagram star and founder of Punch Foods.
Once a public road accessible to vehicles and pedestrians, Motcomb Street has recently been pedestrianised to cater for visitors on foot to the street’s boutique and designer shops. Due to the high profile event, a temporary security measure was called for. The product used, Surface Guard, is from road blocker, bollard and vehicle barrier systems manufacturer ATG Access.
The company says it’s been designed in response to the recent spate of vehicle ramming attacks across Europe. It has been tested in accordance with the IWA 14 crash test standard and withstood attack from a 2,500 kg vehicle travelling at 30 mph. It is also the makers add quick to install and is lightweight and compact. The product has been designed to complement its surroundings and allow pedestrians to flow into a designated area. Once in place, cyclists, visitors with prams and wheelchair users were all able to pass through. The deployment took just over an hour, and the natural stone surface of the street was not damaged due to the system’s surface mounted design.
Glenn Cooper, CEO of ATG Access, said: “The shocking terrorist attacks, which have happened at public events across the world, have highlighted the need to protect busy public areas from possible vehicle attacks. Temporary events have always been difficult areas to protect, given that the locations are considered low risk when events aren’t taking place. However, when the event is taking place, this risk increases considerably due to the amount of people gathering in one place.
“Our innovative Surface Guard System was deployed to protect over 5,000 people who were going to celebrate the official reopening of Motcomb Street in London. We were able to provide the system within a very short turnaround time, and it was installed on the street within an hour.” The irregular shape of the street did not cause any issues because of the product’s flexible configuration and modular shape, he added.
“This solution is the first of its kind and not only can it withstand ramming attacks from hostile vehicles, the robust perimeter security system can be deployed extremely quickly and also be removed just as easily once an event is over, without any surface damage. We believe that this innovation will prevent potential vehicle attacks, and will make it easier for organisers of temporary events to keep their attendees safe.”
Hannah Clark, health and safety manager at We Are The Fair, who helped organise the event on behalf of Grosvenor UK and Ireland, said: “During our recent event on Motcomb street, we recognised that we needed a security solution that would provide us with the highest levels of protection against potential hostile vehicle attacks. But, at the same time, it also needed to be aesthetically pleasing so it would not be an eyesore, and deployed within a very short time frame.
“When we came across ATG Access’ Surface Guard system, we were so pleased that we had found a product that met all our complex security needs. It could stop a marauding vehicle, its appearance was subtle, it could be moved within a reasonable time frame to allow emergency access if required, and as an added bonus, it could be installed by hand, without the use of cranes or other plant, within an hour.
“ATG Access was very responsive and was able assist us within a few weeks of the event, discussing our needs and inspecting the event site to ensure the product would work for our circumstances. We were very happy with the safe, successful execution of our event, which not only met the desired targets, but was also able to showcase the very latest in event safety technology.”
Visit: www.atgaccess.com.
