All Party Support At Third 'People Friendly' Blackfriars Protest

By jamesup Last edited 149 months ago
All Party Support At Third 'People Friendly' Blackfriars Protest
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London political heavyweights from all parties joined the estimated 2,500 people who gathered beneath threatening clouds on Blackfriars Bridge last night for a third protest against TfL's reworking of the gyratory junction.

All parties were present at the protest ride across the bridge, with two mayoral candidates (Brian Paddick, Lib Dem; and Jenny Jones, Green), Ken's running-mate and Labour AM London, Val Shawcross, Lib Dem AM, Caroline Pidgeon, and Conservative AM, Andrew Boff, all in attendance.

300 had attended the first protest on the bridge back in May, and hundreads more returned in July after TfL refused to reconsider their revised plans following a unanimous vote in the London Assembly that called for the scheme  – which restores a gyratory, the 30mph speed limit, and includes cycle lanes judged by campaigners to be dangerously narrow – to be reconsidered.

Organised by the London Cycling Campaign (LCC), the protest was also backed by the CTC, Sustrans and the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain. Notably London Living Streets (formerly the Pedestrians Association) were present, supporting the 'people friendly' proposals the LCC released on Monday.

It may well be too late to change the design at Blackfriars, as the work on the new Gyratory is now underway, but campaigners are hoping to drive people-friendly street design to the top of the agenda during the election year.

The Mayor of London's press team did not respond to a request for comment on the protest or the LCC's designs.

Images by Zefrog. See more pictures of the protest at Flickr. And, a rather good video here.

Last Updated 13 October 2011