City backtracks on TVP detour after cyclists call it 'unsafe'
The City of London is changing course on a proposed detour during construction on the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP), after the cycling community raised safety concerns.
Initially, the city planned to direct cyclists and pedestrians off the TVP, to a detour north on Talbot Street, across Oxford Street, up to Grosvenor Street, before cutting back west to rejoin the TVP.
“It was just neglect of responsibilities,” says Andrew Hunniford, general manager of the London Bicycle Café.
It was unsafe, he says, because it would have forced cyclists to cross Oxford Street unnecessarily, at an intersection he calls “really dangerous.”
The City of London’s proposed detour route, as seen on its website. (Source: City of London)Through the café’s Twitter account, he proposed an alternative detour that makes use of the Oxford Street underpass on the west side of the Thames, as well as Blackfriar’s Bridge at the south end of Ann Street Park.
Several other Twitter users agreed with Hunniford’s assessment.
“Does that official detour go under Talbot Street Bridge?” one reply reads. “That tunnel is a death trap for cyclists and pedestrians alike.”
Another comment reads, “The city’s detour looks like a plan designed by people who do not cycle,”
The city says it received feedback from cyclists about the detour route, and has made changes. The detour will now follow Hunniford’s proposed route from Blackfriar’s Bridge up to the Oxford Street underpass.
“New signage will be placed ahead of the construction site to show the new route,” a city spokesperson wrote in a statement provided to CTV News London. “We welcome feedback that will help us make improvements.”
The closure is for construction on underground sewer infrastructure. It’s expected to last until Sept. 30, according to the city.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.