Is it time to re-open Blackfriars Bridge to eastbound vehicles?
CBC News | Posted: July 29, 2021 8:00 AM | Last Updated: July 29, 2021
Vehicle traffic halted to eliminate a pedestrian pinch point during height of COVID-19 outbreak
The City of London has no immediate plans to re-open the Blackfriars Bridge to vehicle traffic and some residents of the residential neighbourhood across the river from downtown are openly wondering why.
When it reopened in December 2018 after an extensive $8.6 million renovation, the historic bridge allowed one lane of eastbound-only vehicle traffic, with the rest of the bridge deck reserved for pedestrians and cyclists.
In April of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to take hold, the city closed the bridge to vehicles as part of a city-wide move to avoid pedestrian congestion pinch points and limit the spread of the virus.
Now, with with case counts low, vaccination rates rising and much of the economy returning to regular operations, some residents feel it's time for Blackfriars Bridge to again open to car traffic.
"It doesn't really make sense to me anymore because you can go to the mall, so you should probably be able to go across the bridge," said Blackfriars resident Susan Jory.
In a discussion on the Blackfriars community Facebook page, some residents said they prefer to keep cars off the bridge, preferring the quiet.
But Jory points out while the bridge was being renovated, the city polled residents about what traffic they'd like to see allowed on the refurbished bridge and the majority opted for eastbound-only vehicle traffic.
"We should respect the fact that people wanted it open to vehicle traffic and it should be open now," she said.
At the same time, Jory said she understands why some of her neighbours would rather not see cars return.
"It's a debating team question for sure," she said.
Vanessa Brown is a Blackfriars resident and co-owner of the Brown & Dixon bookstore on Richmond Row. She's missed having the bridge open as a quick driving route to get to work, often while hauling box loads of books, at a time when other parts of the downtown core are under construction.
Also, vehicle traffic means the bridge needs to be maintained at a certain standard.
"There was a really strong argument for it to remain a roadway so that it would have constant attention from the city," she said.
In a statement to CBC News, city officials said they're watching traffic patterns on the bridge but have no immediate plans for allowing vehicle traffic to resume.
"The number of pedestrians and cyclists using the bridge continues to be relatively high when considered with regard to the narrow sidewalk that confines users between the railing and bridge truss," the statement says.
"Blackfriars Bridge will continue to be a shared pedestrian and cyclist space at this time. With the construction-related traffic impacts into the downtown from the west, we are monitoring traffic flow to determine if any future changes are required."