Welcome to the forum
London Protest Ride
Friday 29th July, 6pm @ Blackfriars Bridge
A timeline of how we got here can be found here: http://cyclelondoncity.blogspot.com/p/blackfriars-timeline-of-everything-you.html
The short of it: Traffic flow (car speed) is apparently more important (to TfL and the Mayor) than the safety of cyclists and pedestrians.
It's been all over the cycling forums, blogs, campaigning sites (LCC, Sustrans, etc)... but the current situation that we're in is that despite overwhelming evidence from their own research, despite thousands of people petitioning, writing, lobbying and protesting, despite the Mayor making overtures to something needing to be done, and despite a cross-party motion from the London Assembly... Transport for London and the Mayor of London are going ahead with their proposal to open the bridge with the current layout and without a 20mph limit.
Everyone is pretty furious about it, and as a result, everyone (bike blogs, forums, campaigning groups, etc) has agreed to send Critical Mass to the bridge, to become overwhelming traffic and to protest at the way the entire process was managed and the outcome to it.
Critical Mass is going to head for the Bridge on Friday night, and there's going to be a go slow flashride on Monday morning so that TfL don't think it's a done deal before work.
Please come LFGSSers! TfL's road designs on this bridge have killed before, and we've exhausted all democractic avenues.
If you're wondering where to be and when, well the LCC and all the bike bloggers involved are going to start their ride at the Doggett's Pub, on the south side of Blackfriars Bridge, at 6PM PROMPT on Friday evening.
We want this to be the biggest 'flashride' London has ever seen so please do come along.
The flashride will loop Blackfriars Bridge, before heading to Waterloo to collect Critical Mass (kicking off around 7 from the usual place) to guide them back to Blackfriars.
A timeline of how we got here can be found here: http://cyclelondoncity.blogspot.com/p/blackfriars-timeline-of-everything-you.html
The short of it: Traffic flow (car speed) is apparently more important (to TfL and the Mayor) than the safety of cyclists and pedestrians.
It's been all over the cycling forums, blogs, campaigning sites (LCC, Sustrans, etc)... but the current situation that we're in is that despite overwhelming evidence from their own research, despite thousands of people petitioning, writing, lobbying and protesting, despite the Mayor making overtures to something needing to be done, and despite a cross-party motion from the London Assembly... Transport for London and the Mayor of London are going ahead with their proposal to open the bridge with the current layout and without a 20mph limit.
Everyone is pretty furious about it, and as a result, everyone (bike blogs, forums, campaigning groups, etc) has agreed to send Critical Mass to the bridge, to become overwhelming traffic and to protest at the way the entire process was managed and the outcome to it.
Critical Mass is going to head for the Bridge on Friday night, and there's going to be a go slow flashride on Monday morning so that TfL don't think it's a done deal before work.
Please come LFGSSers! TfL's road designs on this bridge have killed before, and we've exhausted all democractic avenues.
If you're wondering where to be and when, well the LCC and all the bike bloggers involved are going to start their ride at the Doggett's Pub, on the south side of Blackfriars Bridge, at 6PM PROMPT on Friday evening.
We want this to be the biggest 'flashride' London has ever seen so please do come along.
The flashride will loop Blackfriars Bridge, before heading to Waterloo to collect Critical Mass (kicking off around 7 from the usual place) to guide them back to Blackfriars.