On January 1, 2025, a New Year’s celebration in New Orleans' French Quarter turned deadly when a 42-year-old American from Houston, Texas, drove a rented Ford F-150 Lightning into a crowd on Bourbon Street. The attack killed 14 people and injured 57, marking it one of the deadliest vehicle ramming incidents in recent U.S. history. Just weeks earlier, on December 20, 2024, a similar attack occurred at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany. This tragically killed six people and injured 299 people. These attacks make regular activities that should be safe and enjoyable with friends and family now create a sense of weariness around attending such events that should be safe for communities.
In Australia, we remain acutely aware of the persistent risk of vehicle-related incidents—both intentional and accidental. The 2017 Bourke Street rampage in Melbourne, which sadly claimed six lives, remains a stark reminder of how vulnerable crowded spaces can be.
These events highlight a growing concern: vehicles are an easily accessible weapon for lone actors, exploiting the everyday presence of cars and trucks in our cities.
The increasing misuse of vehicles as weapons demands that we rethink and how we design and protect urban spaces.
How Security Measures Fail
The New Orleans attack exposed critical failures in security implementation. The city had previously identified the French Quarter’s vulnerability to vehicle attacks and allocated USD $40 million—(Business Insider) to install hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) measures like bollards and barriers. Yet, by January 2025, the project was incomplete. As some bollards were offline for replacement. This was exploited by the assailant, as an open gap was left by a police cruiser allowing him to drive onto the sidewalk.
Portable Archer 1200 barriers—(The Guardian) proven effective in blocking vehicles—were owned by the city but left in storage. As New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick admitted, “We had a plan, but execution failed us.” This underscores a vital security lesson: purchasing protective measures is not enough—proper deployment and maintenance are crucial.
In contrast, German cities like Münster have reinforced pedestrian zones with permanent bollards following recent attacks. Closer to home, Melbourne has redesigned key public spaces to separate vehicles from pedestrians, integrating permanent HVM solutions without compromising urban accessibility.
The takeaway is clear: security planning must be proactive, not reactive.
Lessons for Australian Cities
The rise of electric vehicles (EVs) presents a new challenge in hostile vehicle mitigation. The F-150 Lightning used in the New Orleans attack was not only heavy and fast but also silent—offering little warning before impact. As EV adoption grows in Australia, security risk assessments must account for their unique characteristics.
Australian urban planners and security professionals must continuously refine strategies to counter vehicle threats. Following the Bourke Street attack, Melbourne initially installed temporary barriers before transitioning to permanent infrastructure. However, risks persist, particularly in high-foot-traffic zones such as Sydney’s George Street and Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall, where controlled vehicle access remains.
There is a critical need for robust security frameworks that integrate HVM solutions with real-time surveillance and rapid-response capabilities. While we can’t eliminate all threats, strategic urban design and layered counterterrorism measures can significantly reduce risk and enhance public safety.
Moving Forward
From Bourbon Street to Melbourne, vehicle attacks expose a troubling reality: our public spaces remain vulnerable. Where people walk, live and tread every day as a community. While this raises caution, we learn from past incidents and apply proactive security measures. We can reduce these risks.
The key takeaway for Australian cities is clear—security infrastructure must not only exist on paper but be fully operational and adaptable to emerging threats. Lone actors will continue to seek weaknesses, but with the right approach, we can ensure our urban spaces remain pen and accessible to everyone while being and secure.
As we move further into 2025, a crucial question remains: are our cities truly prepared? Now is the time to act.
We cannot wait for the next attack.
References
- “Archer Barriers New Orleans Truck Attack.” The Guardian, 11 Jan. 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/11/archer-barriers-new-orleans-truck-attack Accessed 23 April. 2025.
- “New Orleans Attack: City Was Partway Through Replacing Street Barriers.” Business Insider, 2025, https://www.businessinsider.com/new-orleans-attack-city-was-partyway-through-replacing-street-barriers-2025-1 Accessed 23 April. 2025.