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New Orleans anti-vehicle measures

3DDave

3DDave

Aerospace
May 23, 2013
10,807
bollards.PNG

Is it just me or does it seem like those will simply roll or slide out of the way if an SUV pushes them from either direction? How tough would it be to bolt something at the right height to push on the platform over those wheels to stop them from doing sufficient damage to stop an SUV or large pickup truck?
bollards2.PNG
Pushing from this side and it looks like they just add to the problem.
Oh, wait this is tragic and funny - according to the maker https://www.betterbarriers.com/product/archer-1200/ those wheels are supposed to be folded up after placement. FFS no one reads the <string of profanity> directions do they?

What's more, they appear to be designed for best use on dirt and are intended to stop vehicles in a dynamic way, depending on a high enough velocity to cause the barrier to rotate as well as to smash the front of the vehicle, which is great if you have people with guns to shoot anyone approaching a check point slowly and so making a dash at it the best option. But on hard pavement or a civilian sidewalk? They are also supposed to be cabled together to form a chain of barriers such that pushing one will gather the rest and cause the excess ones to rotate into the vehicle tires, removing traction with the ground. RWD? Seems like a steady push would displace one and then the driver can back up and turn through the gap.

How they are envisioned to be used:


I think these barriers are great for the task they are intended for, but not for the purpose they have been put to in New Orleans.

I would probably go with those concrete center barriers placed parallel to the curb as they provide similar or better protection and aren't nearly the tripping hazard to the pedestrians who are using the sidewalks. They also have standard blinky lights to place on the tops to give better pedestrian recognition of the unusual hazard and, if some moron starts shooting, provide at least a tiny increase in the places one might hide to prevent getting shot.
 
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The improper installation is a problem. This is a chronic problem. An example needs to be made. Maybe this should be elevated to a criminal charge just as any code violation could be.

With that said, a deterrent should be sufficient as long as there is some separation from the crowd. If this device can stop a truck within 50 feet that may not seem like a very good number but if I can be installed 51 feet from the crowd it is entirely sufficient.
 
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If it can be nudged out of the way then it doesn't matter how far back it is placed.
 
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Even when properly applied, it seems the terrorists may just need two vehicles. One to displace the barrier, and one to do the deed. That means the lone wolf may need a partner, which probably decreases the odds a plan comes to fruition, which is good, but it's not total prevention.
 
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as long as the pins that hold the wheels in place have been removed the barrier should work as intended.
 
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What im curious about is that if barriers need to be designed differently for EVs, as they tend to be much heavery, have more torque, and different weak spots. The truck used in the new Orleans attack was a F-150 lightning all electric vehicle (welcome to the age of sustainable terrorism).
 
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This is mostly security theatre. Which something authorities often perform. I don't see the engineering failure here.

In this particular case where the risk was more acute then comprehensive security may have been prudent. But that take significantly more planning and resources. Sure there were clear failings in the implementation of the security measures. But in most security implementations there are clear weaknesses that can be exploited by a determined individual.

Children manage continue to manage to kill in schools each year.

1736016371919.png
 
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We can attach a cause. Allowing people to conceal their identities in public with bandanas increases the likelihood of them becoming a "bandit".
 
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...and you have over a million fatalities to show for it.
 
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From another news source...

"Elon Musk and his company Tesla had a significant hand in capturing the suspect involved in the incident on Wednesday, January 1, when the technology he and his team implanted in Tesla vehicles was able to successfully track and pinpoint the exact journey from Denver to Las Vegas that Matthew Livelsberger took on his way to the hotel, with the software managing to locate the source of the problem – fireworks stored inside of the truck.

Tesla gathers data from charging stations dotted across the country, as well as at sites throughout the world. They also keep track of customers’ sensitive data by monitoring calls, texts, and even storing photos and videos, due to mobile synchronisation."

euroweeklynews.com

Data privacy complaints after Tesla row

Is your car spying on you? Questions are being asked about data privacy of customers as Tesla and other cars, as well as social media sites look to keep data
euroweeklynews.com euroweeklynews.com
 
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dik said:
...and you have iover a million fatalities to show for it.
Click to expand...
Right...and climate change is preventable, too.

It's interesting that Tesla and the FBI chose this incident to demonstrate how much ability they have to track you. There weren't really any victims. Only 10 years ago Apple refused to unlock an iPhone used in an Islamic terrorist shooting with 14 deaths in San Bernardino.

FYI, those portable barricades have only a 10 mph rating even when set up correctly.
 
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TugboatEng said:
Right...and climate change is preventable, too.

It's interesting that Tesla and the FBI chose this incident to demonstrate how much ability they have to track you. There weren't really any victims. Only 10 years ago Apple refused to unlock an iPhone used in an Islamic terrorist shooting with 14 deaths in San Bernardino.

FYI, those portable barricades have only a 10 mph rating even when set up correct.
Click to expand...
Since we are way off topic of traffic control features why not. The iPhone the FBI wanted to break was one they knew had zero information on it as it was the work phone and was not used during the shooting. What the FBI really wanted was for Apple to make a large, permanent, exploitable security hole so that the FBI could spy on all Americans.

I don't see any rating but this shows a 30 mph test:
 
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Maybe spying on all Americans isn't such a bad thing. The above chart seems more to show school shootings have increased ever since the release of the iPhone, and even more so since iPhone's and iPads have become a major requirement in public schooling.
 
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No need to spy on everyone. Just enforce the laws on the books. Since I'm a California resident I will suggest PC 185. That's a low number. It's as if they need it was a problem all of the way back in 1872!
 
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What do masks have to do with traffic control or engineering?
 
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