A British-designed innovative road block system, which can withstand the force of a 2,500kg vehicle travelling at 30 mph, is now available to help protect the public from future terrorist attacks.
Surface Guard has been developed by the world’s leading innovator of road blocker, bollard and vehicle barrier systems, ATG Access, and is the first system of its kind to protect pedestrians from targeted vehicle attacks.
Recent attacks targeting pedestrians in Nice, at the Berlin Christmas Markets and more recently in London, Barcelona and New York have highlighted the need for event security to be ramped up. The new surface guard system has been designed to deter vehicular attacks, but to also prevent and immobilise hostile vehicles that do attempt an attack.
Tested to the IWA 14 standard, the surface guard system has successfully arrested a 2,500kg vehicle travelling at 30 mph.
Modular in design and compact and easy to store, this system is lightweight and quick to deploy. Unlike many traditional barriers, no heavy machinery is required to install the system – four men can close off a roadway using the surface guard system in under an hour. When the system is no longer required, it is even quicker to remove and causes no damage to the road surface as no anchoring is required.
Supplied in individual units, each section of the barrier can be stacked to make transportation and storage very easy.
Rather than creating a ‘fortress feel’, it has been designed to complement its surroundings and allow pedestrians to flow freely into the designated area. Emergency vehicles can also pass through access points if necessary. Whilst being aesthetically attractive, the system provides a resilient deterrent.
Surface Guard has already successfully protected cycle lanes and roads at Europe’s largest fireworks display in Stockton-On-Tees on Bonfire night 2017, and received positive reviews from security forces and the general public in the UK, after multiple deployments in crowded places.
Last month, hundreds of Surface Guard units were dispatched to the United States in response to the New York City terrorist attack in Manhattan. It was also demonstrated at the US’s largest annual security convention, ISC East, in New York City.
In early 2018, the system will be making its way across to France to demonstrate how it can protect the public from future terrorist attacks.
For more information, visit www.atgaccess.com or watch the video of its deployment here.
