Summary
New Orleans is installing new 10-mph-rated bollards on Bourbon Street to replace failing barriers ahead of the Feb. 9 Super Bowl, despite knowing they can’t stop moderate-to-high-speed vehicle attacks like the deadly New Year’s Day incident that killed 14.
The city prioritized ease of use over crash safety due to maintenance issues with older barriers.
Critics argue the new system leaves vulnerabilities, as the engineering report showed vehicles could still exceed the bollards’ speed rating.
Officials face scrutiny over balancing security and daily operations in the crowded tourist zone.
I think they had those, but they broke because they stopped paying the maintenance company.
What do you have to pay? You just need a couple concrete posts in a hole with a padlock on them.
It was probably one of those fancy electric ones with remote access. Cities will pay millions for something like that instead of the low tech solution of just having a guy with a key there that’ll set you back a few tens of thousands a year.
Or just give a key to the fire department and the municipal waste department.
Even with the high tech electric option, you probably still want at least one armed guard sitting watch at the intersection between pedestrians and people operating pedestrian-murder-machines
Anything that a person (or two) can unlock, lift up and move out of the way isn’t even close to structurally sound enough to stop a large vehicle with speed, mass and determination on its side.
They should install permanent barriers that can stop the largest of trucks. Then simply close the whole area off to vehicle traffic. Within the district, the only vehicles allowed are bicycles, cargo bikes, and small golf carts. You bring in deliveries by bicycle or other small electric vehicle. People living there can park their vehicles a few block away in lots located outside the pedestrian-only zone. Trash can hauled by cart a few blocks and then transferred to regular trucks.
We have zero problem organizing logistics like these for every shopping mall in the country. Yet somehow it become impossible the moment the shopping mall no longer has a roof on it.