I Have been ill for a few days so only just caught up with all this. Decided to read what TfL were actually saying here-
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/20603.aspx Well, they really have got the propagandists out to write this one. Do they really think people will be fooled into believing they are doing this to improve things for cyclists and pedestrians merely by mentioning those two words often enough in a press release? And distorting and presenting statistics in such a way as to try and diminish the importance of cycle traffic .
"Analysis by TfL shows that usage by cyclists through this junction is predominantly for travelling to and from work and is therefore concentrated during traditional 'rush hour' periods, particularly in the morning heading northbound and in the afternoon heading southbound." Isn't that the case for most categories of traffic using the bridge? Apart from, possibly, commercial vehicles. They seem to be implying that this means cyclists needs should be subordinate to others as a result. And what about the substantial numbers of bikes who use it outside of rush hour? I rarely use the bridge during a rush hour, but on my regular crossings, there are always several other bikes crossing at the same time in both directions. And anyway, shouldn't TfL be managing the road network in a way that will increase that 6%. Although it wasn't a perfect river crossing for cyclists, some attempts had been made (after cyclists had been killed, remember, ) to make it safer. Along with Southwark, it was one of my preferred crossings (as long as I wasn't trying to turn right at the north end, but that's another story). Reversing some of those improvements is not the way to get more people riding bikes in London.
I am supposed to be leaving for my summer trip tomorrow, and due to being ill since Sunday afternoon, I have hardly done any packing or bike prep. So I was planning to stay in all day and do just that. But I will be on Blackfriars Bridge tonight. It feels as if we let this one go without a fight TfL will be able to say that its drive towards "improved traffic flow" (where traffic only means motor traffic) is what most people want. They need see that a lot of people know they are wrong.
