London Mayor Sadiq Khan responded to Wednesday’s reported terror attack by suggesting that vehicles be banned in certain parts of the city, particularly near the government buildings where Parliament meets.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Wednesday he wants to ban cars from certain areas of Parliament Square in response to a suspected terror attack on Tuesday https://t.co/W7KrSE8V4B
— POLITICO (@politico) August 15, 2018
Khan told BBC Radio that the important thing was to ensure that the people continued to have access to their government, but that measures to keep members of Parliament safe would benefit everyone.
“I think there would be lots of challenges if we would do the whole square. It is a thoroughfare for cars, vehicles and commercial deliveries going through London. So it’s possible to have a designed solution … in keeping our buildings and people as safe as we can do. And also not losing what is so wonderful about our city that is a vibrant democracy, people can walk around safely.”
Since July of 2016, when a man in a rented truck drove into a crowd in Nice, France, vehicle-based attacks have been on the rise — particularly in Europe where many cities have stricter regulations on guns and knives.
Just a few months ago, Khan issued a public call to young Londoners, challenging them not to “risk” their futures by carrying knives.
To every young Londoner: don’t risk your future by carrying a knife. London needs you alive. #LondonNeedsYouAlive #LNYA pic.twitter.com/q2TyAdLr7M
— Mayor of London (@MayorofLondon) April 17, 2018
In the wake of Wednesday’s attack, however, London authorities appear to be on the same page as Khan. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling admitted that “there may well be a case” for banning vehicular traffic in certain parts of London.
“We’ve got to do that carefully,” he told Sky News after the attack. “We shouldn’t just take an on-the-hoof response to what was a very disturbing incident.”
Follow Virginia on Twitter.