New York City will insert 1,500 protective barriers along the city’s sidewalks, CNN and Reuters report. The installments are part of the city’s $50 million investment in security infrastructure.
Mayor de Blasio’s decision follows two incidents last year involving vehicles that mounted the curb killing multiple people. In May, a man drove his truck for three blocks along the sidewalk, and last October, a rental truck plowed through a bicycle lane near the World Trade Center.
Replacing the current concrete barriers in Lower Manhattan and Times Square that were installed following vehicle-related attacks, bollards (cylinder metal posts) are a more attractive alternative, said de Blasio. The previous concrete barriers were installed by the New York Police Department.
The installations will begin in March of 2018 and will be placed in what the City determined to be priority locations for the barriers. The areas selected are well known, busy areas. Similar bollards have already been placed in Times Square following vehicle attacks as a $50 million project.
“…We will not be cowed, and our expanded investment today in barriers and bollards in our public spaces underscores our resolve in keeping New York City safe from future attacks,” the Mayor remarked January 2, standing in front of a row bollards “We know we have to do even more to keep people safe”.
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