"...seeing them is a sign of how we live now."

 And we shouldn't have to:

The 44-year-old lawyer, who was visiting London from New Orleans, said: “We love it here, it’s a great atmosphere with all of the stands and the unique things, minus the barriers. It’s so unfortunate – seeing them is a sign of how we live now.”

'Here' being London's famous Portobello Road, A place I haven't visited in years, and never will again now:

This is because of new rules that ban all cars from Portobello Road between 10am and 4pm, where much of the 1999 film was shot. In some sections of the famed street market the restrictions cover the whole week, while in others only three days. To enforce the new rules, large grey concrete slabs and garish red barriers have been placed along the street.If Notting Hill were filmed today, the visible restrictions “would take away” from the movie, said Ella’s mother, Katie Alasky. The barriers and travel restrictions were put in place on the advice of counter-terror police who have warned of the potential threat of vehicle attacks.

Being the 'Guardian' of course, the emphasis is on the imagined effect on a popular film of the chattering classes created by a celebrated progressive director when the real story is the effects it's having on the life and businesses of those who live and work there.

Local residents have also been affected. “I’m not a designer but I’m sure I could design something better than that,” said Patrick Somers, 65, a former lawyer who lives in a side-road behind the market. Somers said people had only found out about the restrictions a few days before they had been implemented on 1 July. He is now leading a legal challenge, with the help of the law firm Broadfield, on behalf of residents and traders against Kensington and Chelsea council, who enacted the changes.

“They have not thought this through. We’ve got all sorts of unintended consequences here,” said Somers. He feared the curtailed access could pose a danger in an emergency situation.Recently, an ambulance had been unable to get past barriers to attend to a child who was having respiratory problems, Somers said.

The response from the council is, as expected 'We know best, peasants!': 

A Kensington and Chelsea council spokesperson said: “Our top priority remains the safety and wellbeing of everyone in the community and we believe the current measures strike a reasonable balance between protecting the public and supporting the needs of individuals. “We continue to speak with residents and businesses, addressing concerns case by case to help inform proposals for a permanent scheme.”

Pity you didn't think to do that before.... Remember hoe, during the IRA terrorist campaign, the emphasis was always on how it shouldn't be allowed to change our lives?