Road traffic on Blackfriars Bridge remains after slim vote at council – London | 24CA News
Although passionate pleas had been made to vary path, vehicular site visitors will proceed to stream on Blackfriars Bridge in the meanwhile.
London metropolis councillors voted 8-7 in favour of a committee suggestion to maintain the present configuration of permitting westbound vehicular site visitors and bicycles and pedestrians in each instructions.
The vote stemmed from a suggestion by the Civic Works Committee, which voted 4-1 earlier this month to proceed to permit vehicles on the bridge.
Council was just about cut up on the difficulty between these searching for to maintain the bridge open to permit simpler entry to the downtown and people citing environmental and leisure issues for preserving vehicles on the bridge.
But in an uncommon transfer, Ward 1 Coun. Hadleigh McAlister, who had moved the unique movement at committee, mentioned he would vote in opposition to the movement after reconsideration.
“I believe that I was wrong, and I am happy to admit that because that’s part of this process,” McAllister mentioned.
The first-term councillor mentioned he visited Blackfriars between conferences to gauge potential site visitors issues. He additionally visited Meadowlily Bridge, a pedestrian-only bridge neighbouring his ward.
“I saw firsthand what a bridge with no road traffic on it can be,” McAlister mentioned. “I think this puts us in the right direction in terms of the vision we want for London.”
Others, like counsellors Sam Trosow and Skylar Franke, additionally supported the defeat of the advice, every citing environmental issues over permitting extra use of roadways for vehicles.
However, a slim majority thought in any other case.
Deputy mayor Shawn Lewis reiterated his feedback from the committee assembly that whereas he’s open to closing the bridge sooner or later to street site visitors, till the fast transit downtown loop is completed, he doesn’t need to restrict avenues into the downtown.
Other councillors, resembling Ward 10 Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen, cited the multi-million funding town had made lower than 10 years in the past into the bridge.
“We did not spend $8 million of taxpayer money to have a standalone footbridge for pedestrians or even cyclists,” Van Meerbergen mentioned.
“Cars are a part of this bridge; they always have been and they always will be.”
The more-than-a-century-old bridge was closed in 2013 over structural integrity points. The council of the time authorised an $8.7-million restoration challenge that resulted in successfully a brand new bridge in 2018. The new bridge additionally introduced a change in allowing street site visitors to stream solely eastbound moderately than in each instructions, as allowed till 2013.
The bridge was as soon as once more closed to autos throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened in November 2021 regardless of a petition on the time calling for it to stay pedestrian-only.
Councillors who voted to maintain street site visitors on the bridge had been Lewis, Van Meerbergen, Corinne Rahman, Jerry Pribil, Peter Cuddy, Steven Hillier, Steve Lehman and Susan Stevenson.
Those opposed had been McAlister, Franke, Trosow, Anna Hopkins, David Ferreira, Elizabeth Peloza, and Mayor Josh Morgan.
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