Urban design measures may limit vehicular attacks, but prevention is difficult: expert | 24CA News
Preventing assaults the place autos are used as weapons is tough, however sure city design measures may assist avert them, an professional says.
Two folks died and 9 others had been injured within the Quebec city of Amqui on Monday after being run down by a pickup truck. Police alleged the driving force drove into pedestrians chosen at random, together with youngsters.
Alex Wilner, who teaches worldwide affairs at Carleton University and has experience on safety points, mentioned sure streetscaping measures can assist stop vehicular entry to sidewalks and different areas the place pedestrians congregate.
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Those embody elevating roadside curbs, establishing bulwarks, making extra use of pedestrian bridges and creating divisions between bicycle lanes, jogging lanes and roads, he mentioned.
Such measures have been carried out in some city settings, together with in components of Toronto and Ottawa, Wilner mentioned, however divisions between roadways and pedestrian walkways may be nearly nonexistent in smaller communities, like Amqui.
“I think the focus of our efforts to combat this has been in major urban areas, which makes sense to impede access to major events like parades in downtown areas or major walkways,” Wilner mentioned in an interview.
“But for the large part those defenses were not implemented as widespread in rural areas or in suburban areas.”
Vehicles utilized in assaults, although they are often as lethal as explosives and weapons, are simple to hire and purchase, Wilner mentioned, making such circumstances arduous to stop.
“It is far easier to get your hands on a vehicle than it is on an explosive device, and it can be just as effective in creating damage,” Wilner mentioned.
“That is the problem we have in trying to tackle its use, and I don’t think there is an easy solution.”
Francois Bonnardel, Quebec’s public safety minister, mentioned Tuesday that the federal government would attempt to be taught classes from what occurred in Amqui to assist stop future tragedies, however it’s arduous to totally eradicate all chance of an remoted assault.
“This murderous folly is hard to prevent,” he mentioned. “We can put everything in place, and then tomorrow morning someone can decide once again to get into a car, into a truck, and strike.”
The driver of the pickup truck within the Amqui case has been charged with harmful driving inflicting demise and the Crown has mentioned extra costs would undoubtedly observe as soon as all of the proof is gathered.
Bonnardel mentioned it’s too quickly to say what could have motivated the Amqui driver.
The tragedy in Amqui got here not lengthy after a college bus crashed right into a daycare in Laval, Que., in February, leaving two younger youngsters useless and 6 wounded. A driver with the Laval transit company has been charged with two counts of first-degree homicide and 7 different offences in that case.
In 2021, 5 members of a Muslim household who had been out for a stroll throughout a heat summer time night had been hit by a pickup truck in London, Ont. Four died and one was critically injured. A person charged in that case faces 4 counts of first-degree homicide and one rely of tried homicide in what prosecutors allege was an act of terrorism.
In Toronto, ten folks had been killed after a person intentionally drove a rental van down a busy sidewalk in April 2018. Three years late, one other particular person died from the accidents sustained within the assault. The van’s driver was discovered responsible of 10 counts of first-degree homicide and 16 counts of tried homicide
Wilner, of Carleton University, mentioned pedestrians ought to attempt to concentrate on their environment.
“I remember personally walking in Toronto after the van attack that I would walk differently. I would look for areas where I could escape to if needed quickly,” he mentioned.
“Being aware of your situation, perhaps walking around without staring at your screen can help save lives.”
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