New security innovation protected thousands at the recent London Marathon

 

The annual London Marathon became the latest event to receive the highest levels of protection from potential vehicle attacks.

 

With over 35,000 runners on the start line on 22 April 2018, and thousands more spectators gathered to cheer on racers, an innovative roadblock system was deployed to safeguard against a possible vehicle attack.

 

Surface Guard, which was developed by ATG Access, the world’s leading designer of road blocker, bollard and vehicle barrier systems, was installed on each side of Parliament Square to protect the people at the event.

 

The system was deployed extremely quickly, with the team able to install the system at each end of the square in just one hour, keeping road closures, prior to and during the event, to a minimum.

 

The Surface Guard being deployed at the London Marathon by StadiumTM

Once the event finished, the solution was removed just as quickly, so that the roads and bridge could be reopened an hour after the marathon finished. As the system does not need anchoring to the ground, no damage was caused to the road or pavements when the system was removed.

 

The Surface Guard has been specifically designed in response to the surge of vehicle ramming attacks that have taken place across 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 its lightweight modular design makes it quick to install, transport and easy to store.

 

The solution has been designed to complement existing street furniture and blend into the background, making it ideal for use at the event as it did not create unnecessary distress to the public. It was manned throughout the day and saw huge crowds of people walking through the system, as well as pedestrians with prams, wheelchair users and cyclists also able to pass through the barrier with ease.

 

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 visiting 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 further vehicle attacks, and will make safeguarding the public at temporary events easier and more robust for organisers.”

 

Since the launch of Surface Guard, just eight months ago, it has already been deployed to protect numerous high profile events, including the official reopening of Motcomb Street in London, the popular Lord Mayor’s show in London and multiple Premier League football stadiums and now the London Marathon.