Just been listening to an LBC live report on the newest section of TFL's* cycle superhighway at Vauxhall. The on-site reporter (Political Editor Theo Usherwood) claimed, IIRC, that only c. 40% of cyclists he'd seen so far were using the new highway and interviewed a number of other road users and pedestrians who were raising serious complaints about what many people feel is a thoroughly ill-conceived scheme and the problems it has created.
They then switched to the studio to interview Andrew Gillighan**, the mayor's cycling commissioner, who proceeded to call Usherwood a liar, more than once. Now Gillighan has plenty of previous with Red Ken*** so maybe something nasty rubbed off in the process...
I wonder if he'll emulate his old enemy and apologise...
TFL and Gilligan evidently don't like criticism or acknowledging that cyclists aren't actually required to use the cycle superhighways and plenty appear to be choosing not to. This begs the question why they aren't required to do so. Having been allocated their very own multi-million pound road space, much to the annoyance of a most other road users, a lot of them don't seem all that keen to use it. Gilligan, and TFL presumably, didn't seem to think that was an issue at all however carried on in typical 'we know best mode'...
Maybe whilst we're in the process of trying to free ourselves of the EU's madness, we should have a London referendum on getting shot of TFL.
* For those who don't know, TFL is London's very own version of the European Commission which imposes chaos and misery all over the City and never seems to be held accountable for any of it. They really don't like being told they've got it wrong, preferring to tell us what's best for us at every turn and employing the well known EC tactic of closing their eyes, sticking their fingers in their ears and chanting loudly to block out objections.
**
https://www.london.gov.uk/media/mayo...g-commissioner
***
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Gilligan