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Press release on Cycle Superhighway

GMB CALL ON TFL TO PROPERLY CONSIDER ALL FEEDBACK ON PROPOSED LONDON CYCLE SUPERHIGHWAY TO BALANCE NEEDS OF ALL ROAD USERS
Banning turns from or onto Westminster Bridge to/from Parliament Sq alone will create gridlock and more emissions and current plan will cause daily all-day congestion from the Tower to Parliament Sq says GMB
GMB, the union for professional drivers, has called on Transport for London to properly examine and respond to all the points made in the 15,000 replies they have had on the proposed super cycle highway.
GMB made this call after it emerged that TfL is taking only 40 days to examine these 15,000 responses and that the Mayor is looking to rubber stamp the go ahead in early February without proper consideration of the responses.
Simon Rush, President GMB Professional Drivers branch, said “Unless time is taken to get this right the Boris proposed super cycle highway may not be as super as we are all have been led to believe.
We all want safer riding and due care for the many Londoners that have taken to riding to work and for leisure but this should be done in such a way that the needs of other Londoners are also considered.
TfL received 15,000 replies to the consultation. Given the time allocated only a small part of these have been read properly. It looks like that only the positive responses have been considered.
So there is a great danger that major changes to London’s road network will be bulldozed through without taking into account the feedback from the consultation.
TfL do not seem to have taken into account the slowing down in emergency response times for blue light vehicles, the impact when there is a closure of Blackwell Tunnel or other accident or breakdowns scenarios when it considered the impact of the super highway on congestion.
The 5/7 minutes figures for delays due to congestion along the route are not accurate as well as the impact of increased emissions We believe such studies were carried out but the findings have been suppressed and we want to know why.
Take Parliament Square and the banned turns from or onto Westminster Bridge. This alone will create gridlock, emissions, and stationary vehicles. This will be the case without accidents, breakdowns or deliveries or indeed taxi drivers stopping for a hail or passengers finishing their journeys.
Parliament Sq could become the New Oxford Street with wall to wall buses with emission figures going through the roof.
TFL have claimed that the route of the cycle highway is mainly not on bus routes so not to hinder bus journey times. Bus companies do not agree. This is likely to means that poorer workers who use buses will regularly be late for work and will have monies deducted from their wages.
It is also likely that accident rates for cyclists will increase as the more competent riders use the 50% reduced road space to get around the less experienced rider on the cycle route.
Remember the poppies at the Tower of London and the all- day congestion that caused. That could be the scenario from the Tower to Parliament Sq on a daily basis.”
End

Posted: 30th January 2015

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