HK$5 million plan to install anti-terrorism bollards near Hong Kong’s Sogo store

Authorities plan to spend HK$5 million (US$641,025) to install safety bollards near the popular Sogo department store in Causeway Bay as a precautionary measure against potential vehicle-ramming attacks targeting pedestrians in one of Hong Kong’s busiest shopping districts.

In a paper submitted to Wan Chai District Council for discussion on January 20, police and the highways and transport departments outlined the plan for locations around 555 Hennessy Road.

The proposal calls for bollards and crash barriers to be placed at pedestrian crossings near Sogo and along the nearby Paterson Street pedestrian precinct to safeguard public safety. The project, with an estimated cost of HK$5 million, is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year.

Describing it as a “long-standing risk”, the authorities said the area was a critical north-south pedestrian corridor with heavy foot traffic.

They warned that if a vehicle were deliberately used as a weapon to ram into crowds, the consequences would be catastrophic and the social impact incalculable.

Officials stressed that in light of the potential “public safety threat”, installing robust, internationally compliant anti-ram structures such as bollards or crash barriers was an urgent and necessary measure.