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The organising committee of the Christmas Festival of Lights, which is one of Melbourne’s largest and most iconic street festivals, needed to ensure the protection the crowds enjoying the event. The event offers a magical night of fun, entertainment and festivity. There are many free activities, such as live theatre, rides, food trucks and visits with Santa. The night wraps up with an impressive fireworks display. It attracts upwards of 50,000 people, and is one of the biggest free Christmas events in Australia.
Unfortunately, major events such as this can be a target for hostile vehicle attacks, which is why the safety of attendees was at the forefront of the organisers minds.
Saferoads rental division were engaged by contractor, Frankston City Council, to provide a safety solution for the closed roads in the Frankston CBD that could contain a hostile vehicle and protect pedestrians. The solution needed to allow the flow of pedestrians, including those with prams or wheelchairs, and the quick access of emergency vehicles if required.
Saferoads rental division manager, Trent Loveless, whose team carried out the bollard and barrier deployments for the event, said the feedback from the event coordinator was that the use of the Rapid Stop Barrier had made a vital contribution to the success of this year’s event. ‘Our client was most impressed with our product and the protection it offered, whilst simplifying emergency services ingress and egress through the innovative gate solution,’ he said.
Because the Rapid Stop Barrier is fully crash tested, it allows event management to have complete peace of mind that it will contain a dangerous driver, whether intentional or accidental. The system did not slow the entry or dispersement of the large crowds, and the access gates allowed for the fast entry of an ambulance which was required during the evening.
