All in the name of security.
Within hours of Monday’s van rampage on Yonge St. in Toronto, in which 10 people were killed and another 14 injured, the city placed concrete barriers in front of Union Station. It was an acknowledgment of the vulnerability of anyone on foot as they walk down a sidewalk.
Temporary barricades were put in front of Union Station Toronto
Alternatives to those ugly barriers, sometimes called k-rails, are being used in many cities where the streets are crowded with pedestrians. We saw that last summer in Manhattan where the barriers look like tables covered with a thick fabric or large concrete planters placed near the curbs where the crowds of people are significant.
Barricades and Planters in Manhattan on 5th Avenue at 34th Street
The table blocks were being used by street vendors to hawk their wares. The planters held brightly colored flowers that actually made the sidewalks more enjoyable on Bloor Street in Toronto and in Manhattan.
It is really sad that we have to take these kinds of precautions. It speaks to the thought that living in gated communities and behind fences and walls is now a necessity in the 21st century.
It appears we are returning to the time when fortresses were the way to protect our families. Windsor Castle was built in the 13th century. Americans built forts to protect themselves as they ventured into Indian territories in the 1600s and 1700s. In the 21st century Israel has built walls to keep Palestinians at bay and Donald Trump wants to build a wall along America’s southern border.
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