The Watergate is a psychological barrier made physical. Instead of stringing wires or ropes across gaps to steer bleating flocks of people around, or to simply keep them where you want them, the Watergate fires jets of water across the gaps and provides a physical barrier which can easily be broken, but which – psychologically at least – is likely to be a better deterrent than more tangible solutions.
The gate could be used to replace turnstiles and has several advantages (other than the obvious fun use of shoving people into the water-jets). In an emergency, it can’t lock up, and even if the water fails to stop squirting, the worst that can happen is that you get wet. Also, they’re wider than regular gates so bikes and wheelchairs can fit through easily.
It’s certainly not high-security, but then, neither is any unmanned turnstile. I have seen people jumping barriers in London, New York and Barcelona. Ironically, the only city I have lived in where the metro doesn’t have gates is Berlin, where pretty much everybody pays for a ticket.
Oh. I almost forgot. Insert Nixon joke here: __.
Watergate – No Scandal! [Yanko]
Post a Comment