Committee recommends keeping Blackfriars Bridge closed to motor vehicles pending further traffic review

Daryl Newcombe -

An online push to keep cars off Blackfriars Bridge is gaining traction.

On Tuesday, a petition with over 600 signatures was presented to city hall’s Civic Works Committee (CWC) calling for the historic bridge to remain only accessible by cyclists and pedestrians.

“I would like to bring forward concerns of people in the community who use active transportation and enjoy this network,” explained Councillor Elizabeth Peloza as she presented the petition. “Though they don’t need it for safe distancing per se at this point in the pandemic, they have come to appreciate it and use it.”

After an extensive renovation, the bridge was reopened to eastbound vehicles into the downtown in December 2018.

By April 2020, however, civic administration blocked the bridge to motor vehicles in order to create safe distancing space and reflect an increase in active transportation.

Blackfriars Bridge in London, Ont., Nov. 2, 2021. (Daryl Newcombe / CTV News)Citywide traffic volumes are about seven per cent lower than in 2019, and engineers believe the number of motor vehicles travelling downtown is even lower.

Councillor Paul Van Meerbergen expressed concern that there may be unintended consequences on nearby roads and intersections.

“To just arbitrarily keep it closed has unintended consequences on the larger arterial roads,” he said.

The committee voted 4-2 to recommend extending the closure of Blackfriars Bridge to motor vehicles and commence a review of its operation as required by the province in the environmental assessment for the bridge’s restoration.

A report will be prepared by civic administration for a future meeting of the CWC.

“Most of them are coming down from the north, down Western Road and cutting through Blackfriars [neighbourhood] to get downtown. There are multiple ways to make that trip, it doesn’t have to be across Blackfriars.”

Council will make a final decision at its Nov. 16 meeting.