A Middlesex primary school has ended a five-year wait for HVM safety barriers to protect young children queuing up alongside a busy main road after a Derbyshire security firm came up with a unique and bespoke solution.
Beit Shvidler Primary School, in Hale Lane, Edgware, is now newly protected by a gleaming 58-metre stretch of a hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) pedestrian guardrail which has been designed and manufactured by Securiscape to ensure that the school’s 219 pupils can arrive and leave the school in safety.
For years, the one-metre-wide pavement outside the school was lined with just a few sections of standard pedestrian guardrail which is designed only to prevent people from crossing the road and has no significant defensive capability.
Beit Shvidler Primary School, in Hale Lane, Edgware, is now newly protected by a gleaming 58-metre stretch of a hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) pedestrian guardrail which has been specially designed and manufactured by Securiscape.
Then, in 2015, the school was contacted by the Community Security Trust, a charity which was set up in 1994 following a recommendation by the Home Secretary and offers security advice and training to the country’s Jewish community.
At the time, the CST was responding to an increase in antisemitic hostility in Britain and there were fears that attacks on Jewish people in Europe would be replicated in the UK, including the prospect of vehicles being used against pedestrians outside faith schools.
At the same time, it was felt it was time to add extra safety measures to shield children arriving at the school from the hundreds of cars and lorries passing just feet away from the school entrance every day.
After the school engaged with the CST and the local council, the CST consulted Securiscape for help, mindful that no suitable solution existed on the market.
In response, but Securiscape’s managing director Mark Stone realised that pedestrian guardrails could have a dual purpose if they were combined with anti-crash technology.
More than four years, thousands of pounds of investment and many hours of research later, Securiscape, which is based near Ashbourne, launched a HVM guardrail that used standard 2m panels connected to Smartposts that sunk into the ground.
In tests, the system showed that it could withstand both a 45° and a head-on impact from a 2.5 tonne truck travelling at 30mph, earning the product its IWA-14 rating, the International Workshop Agreement specifying the essential impact performance require from a vehicle security barrier.
Last month, nearly five years after its initial consultation with CST, it fitted the guardrail outside the Beit Shvidler Primary School, bringing its long wait for extra protection to an end.
Anthony Steinberg, a governor at the school, said: “Although no community should live in fear of its children’s safety, it’s something that we have to take very seriously indeed and at the time we were conscious that our young pupils were vulnerable when they were queuing up waiting to come into school.
“We looked at every possible solution but there was nothing available that suited all parties, which is when the CST asked Securiscape to find a solution.
“In response, they’ve come up with something that looks like a fence but acts like a bollard and it’s perfect. We’re thrilled that what is effectively a bespoke solution for us means that we can now protect our young people, with the installation having taken place ahead of schedule as well.”
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In tests, the guardrail is capable of standing up to a collision with a truck driven at speed – it is the only guardrail of its types in the country capable of doing so.
Mr Stone added: “We’ve introduced quite a few innovative products in our time and we’re incredibly proud our of guardrail and delighted to have delivered the ideal solution for Beit Shvidler Primary School.
“The solution is extremely simple and ticks a whole host of boxes, but it has taken a lot of hard work and effort on our part to overcome the challenges associated with this installation.
“Security in today’s world is so important, but so is the right of everyone to go about their business in peace and without feeling that they’re living in a fortress. That’s why we’re so proud of our guardrail – it’s capable of saving lives but doesn’t look any different to any other stretch of guardrail you’ll find up and down the country.”
Since developing its original guardrail, Securiscape has developed two further versions, including a shallow-fit design that is capable of being installed on road bridges.
Over the years Securiscape has developed a wide range of products that are now installed at locations right across the UK, including the luxury One Hyde Park residential development in London, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leeds, Birmingham and Derby.
To find out more about Securiscape and its products visit www.securiscape.co.uk
