Photo by Joe Dunckley
Environmental campaign group Climate Rush marked World Carfree Day by protesting outside TfL’s offices.
Blackfriars Bridge – itself the scene of protests against the removal of the 20mph speed limit – was the starting point for the convoy of cyclists. The group’s agenda was a car-free London, an overhaul of TfL’s transport policies to prioritise people over vehicles and a 20mph speed limit. TfL’s managing director of surface transport, Leon Daniels, was quick to point out their part in improving things for all road users:
‘TfL has invested millions in improving London’s streets for all road users, especially cyclists over the last decade and will continue to do so. We are only directly responsible for five per cent of the capital’s road network (the red routes), which are primarily the main arterial roads into and out of London, so the vast majority of roads and cycle lanes in London are maintained by the boroughs, who we are working with to improve provision for cyclists through TfL local implementation funding and the Mayor’s Biking Boroughs scheme.’
Climate Rush were also the instigators of a flashmob roadblock protest in July at the Euston Road.
TfL recently urged operators of commercial vehicles to take action to reduce emissions in line with upcoming changes to Low Emission Zone (LEZ) standards.
