Latest weapons in the war against terror attacks… benches and trees

DAVID LEASK

and re-invents its main streets as part of a multi-million-pound revamp.

Sauchiehall Street alone is scheduled go get some £7 million worth of work under the Scottish and UK Government’s City Deal package of aid.

Officials earlier this summer said the pedestrianised street, restyled as one of Glasgow’s avenues, would have “reduced motor vehicle space” and more trees.

Already, in June, new benches appeared in both Sauchiehall Street and Buchanan Street.

Glasgow city centre is one of the busiest shopping and visitor attractions in Scotland, ranking fifth in the UK for international visitors, a key consideration for counterterrorism planners. The footfall in the city centre is almost five million people a month.

This summer has already seen crude barriers put in place in Edinburgh to protect the capital’s summer festivals from driving attacks.

Some people, including groups representing the blind, have complained about new street furniture.

A council spokesman did not expand on the counter-terror nature of some of these structures.

However, he said: “We have been working with a number of partner organisations, including vulnerable road user groups, local community and business bodies, Police Scotland and design consultants, on city centre regeneration projects such as the Sauchiehall Avenue to ensure that the area is as attractive, safe and pleasurable for residents and visitors as possible.”

Police Scotland would only confirm that it had been in consultation with partner agencies.

Glasgow’s other avenue schemes will include Argyle Street.

Cities around Europe and the Americas have been shoring up pedestrian areas. Bollards, for example, have appeared along the Las Vegas strip.

The mayor of Nice in France, Christian Estrosi, has called a summit of European cities to discuss how central shopping and recreation areas have to change.

Mrs Etrosi’s city last summer suffered Europe’s worst act of vehicular terrorism when an extremist drove a 19-tonne truck in to tourists last summer, killing 86.

He claimed municipal authorities were investing tens of millions in traffic control measures in response

Since Nice, three less bloody such attacks have been carried out in London with similar incidents in Stockholm, Sweden; Berlin, Germany; Charlottesville in America and, earlier this month, Barcelona in Catalonia.

Authorities are eager to build terrorproofing in to wider urban planning, with innovations such as concrete plant holders with the qualities of road barriers.

Police Scotland has specialist officers who already advise agencies like social landlords on lighting and other physical “secure by design” structures to improve public safety.

Andy Carroll told court of journey from training.