SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego already has devices in place to protect pedestrians from vehicle attacks like the one in New Orleans, a couple of them are hiding just under your nose.
These steel columns are called bollards. They're short posts that are designed to block cars from entering pedestrian areas. Leaders in New Orleans believe these could've protected people in the vehicle attack on New Year's Day, when a man intentionally drove into a crowd in the French Quarter.
"This is a huge deterrent for someone to try to drive through here," said Michael Trimble, the Executive Director of the Gaslamp Quarter Association.
Trimble says San Diego sends crews downtown every day to manually install these bollards at seven intersections on 5th Avenue.
"This is really the safest step in the right direction for the Gaslamp Quarter to make sure when people come down here they have a sense of comfort and the ability to know cars and people won't mix."
San Diego started blocking off streets in July of 2023, as part of a bigger project to make the Gaslamp more walkable.
"Our goal is to redevelop 5th Avenue into more of a European-type promenade."
But the steel columns also serve as protection against vehicle attacks, which have become increasingly common around the world. There have been at least a dozen deadly vehicle attacks on pedestrians since 2016. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency calls these incidents "a significant threat in the United States."
"I know the police department and all the agencies work hard to be in front of anything that might come up," Trimble said.
San Diego Police say there are currently no known threats in the city. Officers asking San Diegans to report any suspicious activity.
