The city is installing concrete barriers at more than four dozen intersections along the West Side Highway and adjacent bike path to prevent tragedies like the pickup truck terrorist attack that killed eight people Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
Workers began the installations Thursday, transportation department officials confirmed, starting at 59th Street and moving south.
“Our number one priority is keeping New Yorkers safe and secure,” said City Hall spokesman Ben Sarle.
Earlier Thursday, City Council member and transportation committee head Ydanis Rodriguez held a press conference to demand that the city install concrete bollards in front of schools, public plazas and other spaces teeming with pedestrians and cyclists. He had proposed a bill in June after another maniac drove his car through Times Square, killing one woman and injuring more than a dozen people.
“We can’t wait for another attack,” Rodriguez told a crowd outside City Hall Park.
But Sarle countered that the city needs to look at each situation and space individually.
“While we strongly support additional safety measures, we feel that the blanket, one-size-fits-all approach of this bill is not the best use of city resources,” said Sarle. “Every intersection is unique, and requires dynamic safety treatments.”
The city is also hoping to use federal grant money to pay for the installation of some protective barriers, said Sarle.