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by David Shepardson
(Reuters) – The city of New Orleans began replacing safety barriers on Bourbon Street ahead of Wednesday’s truck attack that killed at least 10 people and injured more than 30, and officials acknowledged that a stop-gap safety plan did not work.
The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, managed to drive around the police car and onto the sidewalk.
New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said at a press conference: “We certainly had a plan, but the terrorists overcame it.”
In response to vehicular attacks on pedestrian malls around the world, New Orleans has been removing and replacing barriers known as bollards that restrict vehicular traffic in the Bourbon Street pedestrian zone. The barriers were first installed in 2010. It’s part of a $40 million security plan ahead of the 2017 NBA All-Star Game.
Police said the bollards were strategically placed in five locations in the city’s French Quarter, where Bourbon Street is located.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said, “The balls haven’t been picked up because they’re still being finalized” ahead of the Feb. 9 NFL Super Bowl, which will be played at the Superdome Stadium about a mile from Bourbon Street. The city was able to fund replacement bollards as part of its Super Bowl infrastructure plan.
Kirkpatrick said the police vehicle “was where all these bullies were… in this case the terrorist went all the way to the sidewalk.”
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said the state would address the safety concerns raised by the truck attack.
“We know we have a problem here, right. We’re going to fix it,” Landry said. “It’s going to be a priority going into the Super Bowl.”
A 2017 report by the city said the French Quarter “represents an area that is often overcrowded with pedestrians and prone to a lot of damage.”
The report said, “The area presents a high risk and target area for terrorism.”
New Orleans, which has installed bollards following other vehicle attacks around the world, says it is now installing removable stainless steel bollards that can be securely locked after each intersection.
