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.
Three people were injured after police say a car collided with a number of cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into barriers that line the Houses of Parliament.
Khan told BBC radio that making certain areas only available to pedestrians would provide more safety to both citizens and buildings in the surrounding area. But he also said the city would need to ensure people “don’t lose one important thing about our democracy: People having an access to parliamentarians, people being able to lobby parliament and being able to come and visit parliament.”
“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,” he said. “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.”
Police arrested a 29-year-old British citizen originally from Sudan — whom British media have identified as Salih Khater — on suspicion of committing the attack. Police say he drove with his Ford Fiesta from Birmingham to London late on Monday night. Just before the attack, police say he had been driving around the area of Westminster and Whitehall for about and hour and a half.
Authorities have so far raided two properties in Birmingham and Nottingham in connection to the investigation, and are also searching another address in Birmingham.