London Cycling Campaign call on barriers on London bridges to be modified

London Cycling Campaign (LCC) has called on the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London (TfL) and City Hall to make modifications to the barriers that have been placed on three bridges in the capital this week to prevent vehicles from mounting the pavement.

After the terrorist attack at London Bridge last Saturday - the second attack in London this year - barriers have been installed at the side of the road on Westminster, Lambeth and Waterloo bridges.

However, they have taken up the cycle lane and many users on social media have complained that while the barriers are serving a justified purpose their current design is making cycling less safe.

LCC say that they are working with the relevant authorities on the issue but are pressing them to make design changes to the current and any potential future barriers.

"The people we are talking to recognise our concerns," Simon Munk, LCC's infrastructure campaigner, told CW.

"Our view and our hope is very much that medium and long term there will either be modifications to the barriers already in place to make the situation better, or that there will be a look at replacing them with something else.

"These barriers have gone up very quickly and have clearly been made in a fairly temporary manner.

"The question is what comes next and how do we best ensure that the issue that the Met Police are responding to in terms of counter terrorism also improves safety for people cycling and walking, rather than making it worse.

"We want people to be safe and terrorists to be thwarted from what they done recently, but at the same time cyclists need to be as safe as possible."

Mr Munk believes that more bridges in the capital are likely to have barriers installed, but hopes that they don't reduce space for cycling.

He added: "What I fear is that the barriers' current designs are sudden, are eaten up space that was there for cycling and there are some risks with that."

Sustrans' Matt Winfield said: "Being able to walk and cycle safely is crucial to London’s vitality. A small change to the barriers so that they protect people on bikes as well as pedestrians would ensure the bridges are safer for cycling too. A long-term solution would also have to meet the needs of the growing number of Londoners who travel by bike."