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Transport For London’s costly reshaping of Blackfriars Bridge has been a rallying point for cycle campaigners, many of whom say TfL’s plans will make the crossing more dangerous for cyclists. The bridge is currently extremely well used by cyclists and, at certain times of the day, cyclists outnumber cars.
TfL’s plans for the bridge have been vehemently opposed by cyclists.
Highlighting cyclist and pedestrian safety issues via online complaints and offline demos is one way to get a message across (London Cycling Campaign has done this) but another way – perhaps an even more effective way? – is to demonstrate how an alternative design would look and how much it would cost.
LCC commissioned urban planner Richard Lewis to rethink the controversial junctions and provide a safer crossing.
Lewis said: “Our layout is based on continental principles, which eliminate junction conflicts that put cyclists at risk.”
The plans are given a 3D treatment, with exploded areas featuring extra detail. There’s also video of how the traffic flow would work.
LCC chief executive Ashok Sinha said: “Our visionary design provides larger and better spaces for people on bikes and on foot, but also retains bus and vehicle lanes.
“We hope these graphics stimulate debate among cyclists, pedestrians and city planners, so together we can come up with a solution that’s fit for all Londoners.
“Our city deserves to be a global leader in sustainable transport and liveable public spaces, not an also-ran.”
LCC has organised a second ‘flashride’ at Blackfriars on Wednesday 12 October to call on Mayor Boris Johnson to intervene to make Blackfriars safe.
