It feels like 5 years ago, but it was only back in January that a man used a truck to kill 14 people in a ramming attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, LA. The city had been warned, and knew of the need to have bollards installed, but cheaped out on temporary bollards, which were apparently malfunctioning at the time of the attack. There had been a vehicle-ramming attack at the Christmas market in Magdeburg in December, and an attack in Munich following in February.
I'd say that the title is right on. Car terrorism is a thing.
I don't think that that was the claim. We have car terrorism now, and since the 1980's according to the Wikipedia list of incidents, and bollards can help protect potential victims. It's not a new technology, they knew about them in 1931, so what's our excuse for not installing them?