Road traffic on Blackfriars Bridge remains after slim vote at council

Although passionate pleas were made to change direction, vehicular traffic will continue to flow on Blackfriars Bridge for the time being.

London city councillors voted 8-7 in favour of a committee recommendation to keep the current configuration of allowing westbound vehicular traffic and bicycles and pedestrians in both directions.

The vote stemmed from a recommendation by the Civic Works Committee, which voted 4-1 earlier this month to continue to allow cars on the bridge.

Council was virtually split on the issue between those seeking to keep the bridge open to allow easier access to the downtown and those citing environmental and leisure concerns for keeping cars on the bridge.

But in an unusual move, Ward 1 Coun. Hadleigh McAlister, who had moved the original motion at committee, said he would vote against the motion after reconsideration.

“I believe that I was wrong, and I am happy to admit that because that’s part of this process,” McAllister said.

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The first-term councillor said he visited Blackfriars between meetings to gauge possible traffic concerns. He also 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 said. “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, also supported the defeat of the recommendation, each citing environmental concerns over allowing more use of roadways for cars.

However, a slim majority thought otherwise.

Deputy mayor Shawn Lewis reiterated his comments from the committee meeting that while he is open to closing the bridge in the future to road traffic, until the rapid transit downtown loop is finished, he does not want to limit avenues into the downtown.

Other councillors, such as Ward 10 Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen, cited the multi-million investment the city had made less than 10 years ago into the bridge.

“We did not spend $8 million of taxpayer money to have a standalone footbridge for pedestrians or even cyclists,” Van Meerbergen said.

“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 issues. The council of the time approved an $8.7-million restoration project that resulted in effectively a new bridge in 2018. The new bridge also brought a change in permitting road traffic to flow only eastbound rather than in both directions, as allowed until 2013.

The bridge was once again closed to vehicles during the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened in November 2021 despite a petition at the time calling for it to remain pedestrian-only.

Councillors who voted to keep road traffic on the bridge were Lewis, Van Meerbergen, Corinne Rahman, Jerry Pribil, Peter Cuddy, Steven Hillier, Steve Lehman and Susan Stevenson.

Those opposed were McAlister, Franke, Trosow, Anna Hopkins, David Ferreira, Elizabeth Peloza, and Mayor Josh Morgan.