Cyclists have criticised concrete barriers placed on Blackfriars Bridge in central London to prevent terrorists mowing down pedestrians with a vehicle for causing heavy congestion during the morning rush-hour.
They have complained that the security barriers, placed after two fatal attacks by terrorists using vehicles on London bridges in the past three months, pose a safety risk by forcing cyclists into fast motor vehicle traffic.
Images were circulated on social media on Tuesday morning showing hundreds of riders waiting to file through the blockades at the northern end of the bridge.
After a flurry of complaints on Twitter, a spokesman for the London Cycling Campaign told the Evening Standard: “These barriers had to go up very fast indeed. We hope that something can be done to modify or change them to provide security and not make things worse for cyclists.”
Commuters have for days been posting videos and pictures of the congestion across Blackfriars Bridge, where, it is claimed, barriers are placed so close together that cyclists are forced to queue up to pass through them in single file, with many opting to dismount.
On Tuesday morning, the complaints came to a head, with people held up on the bridge tweeting photos and videos showing cyclists walking with their bicycles and being overtaken by pedestrians as they inched their way from one end of the bridge to another.
Tom Price wrote:
On Monday, Abby Crisostomo wrote:
Transport for London said the barriers had been installed to increase security on London’s busiest bridges. It added: “We are working with them to ensure that these barriers affect cyclists and pedestrians as little as possible, while ensuring the security of all road users.”
