I like the view from one side of the barrier there lol.

The barriers are also there to stop pedestrians running out in the road at random and dangerous points, to stop kids running out of parks straight into the road, and also of shops etc.

IF pedestrians are getting caught on the wrong side of them, that suggests they are crossing the road in the wrong places

I agree, there is an element there to prevent cars mounting pavements for parking and if losing control, but lets see both sides of the fence here eh

lol @ TfL researching then going for the cheap option.
That makes me wonder if the price of scrap steel is still high, maybe they are getting funds together bu scrapping them