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LCC urges capital's cyclists to sign Blackfriars Bridge petition ahead of GLA vote

Assemly members vote next week on motion asking Mayor Boris Johnson not to scrap 20mph speed limit

With Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green assembly members already pledging their support, the motion looks set to be passed, while LCC says it is waiting to hear from the Conservatives about how their representatives will vote.

The motion has been tabled following concerns raised by LCC, as well as an email campaign publicised by that organisation as well as bloggers such as Cyclists in the City and iBikeLondon, and reads:

"This Assembly regrets the Mayor's failure to retain the temporary 20mph speed limit on Blackfriars Bridge in the permanent new scheme for the bridge.

“We note the recommendation for a 20 mph speed limit on four London bridges in a 2008 Transport for London report, and the recent decision of the Corporation of London to ask officers to bring forward plans for the whole of the City of London to become a 20mph zone, including TfL roads.

“We ask the Mayor to reconsider his rejection of a 20mph limit on Blackfriars Bridge, in the interests of the safety of all its users."

Even if the motion is passed, there is no formal requirement for Mr Johnson to overturn his decision, although clearly it would put pressure on him to do so, and LCC is urging cyclists to sign a petition giving their backing to retaining the 20mph limit, which was put in place as a result of roadworks being carried out on the bridge.

Protests against the decision to remove the sped limit included a ‘flashride’ last month in which hundreds of cyclists took part.

You can sign the LCC’s petition here.
 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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thereverent | 12 years ago
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There was an accident this morning at the north end of the bridge involving a cyclist (according to Twitter).
We don't want another death on Blackfriars bridge to get TfL to see sense (like in 2004).

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thereverent | 12 years ago
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The stupid thing is that no vehicle will be able to get to 30mph for very long before havin to stop for the queue at the traffic lights at either end of the bridge (which can get long at rush hour).
A 20mph limit is much more sensible for everything on the bridge.

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