Blackfriars Bridge redesign audit shows it's MORE dangerous to cycle over

The junction was bad enough before, but the redesign is worse.
I cross Blackfriars bridge and turn into Queen Victoria St most days on my commute. I have to get across to the right hand lane half way across the bridge to ensure I can turn.
The ASL at the north end o the bridge is normally full of motorbikes and the feeder lane is so full of cyclists they get marooned to the left of traffic which may be turning left.
The removed pedestrain crossings and very short green man phases on the other lights mean you get pedestrians scuttling across the road when you don't expect it.
If you are turing out of Queen Victoria St towards the Embankment the lane that looks straight ahead is actually oncoming traffic.

The LCC suggested redesign would be so much better for everyone. I hope TfL take note this time.

The new layout was fairly toxic for pedestrians as well.

During the construction of the new Blackfriars station, a light-controlled pedestrian crossing was laid down to cross new Bridge Street at the junction with Queen Victoria Street. This in effect replaced the underpass which used to cross the road and provide access to the station and underground. In any case, for as long as I can remember (back to 1988) pedestrians used to cross at street level along what was clearly a significant "desire line". The underpass was always quite horrid, and anyone with a slight disability would avoid the stairs as far as possible.

As soon as the station work was complete, the crossing was removed. Like many others, I protested this. the TfL response was (a) pedestrians could get to the other side of New Bridge St by crossing to the station, and then back on the other side, in effect going around 3 quadrants of a circle instead of across one, and (b) they decided to re-open the underpass, which had been planned for permanent closure as the entrance to the underground would now be at street level. This was an unsatisfactory response as I had already commented on the obstacles this placed in the way of elderly or disabled pedestrians, wheelchair users etc.

I raised the matter at the Wardmote (annual meeting) of the local City council ward, Castle Baynard, where I am on the electoral roll. The councillors replied that it was not really viable for them to take the matter up with TfL immediately as TfL would expect them to wait and see how it worked out for a while first.

The safety report has apparently been discussed at the Streets & Walkways Committee, where members were less than happy about how this has turned out. Hopefully the City will now bring what influence it has to bear to get the crossing reinstated.

The right turn in to Queen Victoria Street is a detail of the most crass incompetence. The turning traffic faces straight on to the oncoming traffic which has to turn left, such that either an East-bound vehicle drives up on the right hand side of the central median or a westbound vehicle goes through the gap into the Northbound flow off the Bridge.

It amazes me that we have had no report of any vehicles actually doing this, especially at quieter times of day.

A similar detail existed on Eastway where the additional Eastbound traffic was shoehorned in to that fatally flawed access to the A12 from the Olympic media centre. Heading East only miniscule No Entry roundels were placed on the original line of the road to warn against driving head on in to the traffic coming off the A12 slip road. I could barely believe what I saw and photographed. Twice I had to assert my presence, and negotiate road space with coach drivers in under 10 minutes, and I had at least 2 dangerously close squeezes through the poor road layout and compromised lane widths. Two weeks later a cyclist was killed.

To the South cyclists are sorting the issue where TfL has failed - twice - and ride over the Bow flyover (70% of cycle traffic goes this way - more than those travelling in cars at times).

Never mind, as long as we're "smoothing the flow of London's traffic".

Except foot traffic.
Or bicycle traffic.
Or bus traffic.

I still don't get it - why did anyone ever vote for Boris?

"... But TfL wouldn't listen. ..." Now there's a surprise !