Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study – Session #2 – Large Reduction in Cyclist Observations
Motor vehicle volumes increased while cyclist observations decreased in Session #2 of the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study conducted by Gorski Consulting
It was not surprising that the findings from Session #2 of the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study (BBTS) were different than Session #1: It was the magnitude of the difference that was surprising.
Earlier we reported that the volume of motor vehicle traffic had increased by about 100% from Session #1 to Session #2. Now results have also been tabulated for cyclist observations. Substantial differences were noted between Session #1 and #2. The table below shows the cyclist observations from Session #2.
We provide the following explanations of the table contents. The “Source” column indicates the location from which the cycle entered the study area. So the “SB TVP” cell signifies all those cyclists who entered the site travelling southbound on the Thames Valley Parkway. Then we look at where the cyclists went, either continuing southbound the the Thames Valley Parkway (SB TVP), turning to travel south on Ridout Street (SB Ridout), or turning to travel westbound onto Blackfriars Bridge (WB Blackfriars). So in the top row of the above table there were 67 cyclists who entered the site from southbound on the Thames Valley Parkway. 57 of those continued to travel southbound on the Thames Valley Parkway. 7 cyclists turned to travel south on Ridout Street and 3 cyclists turned to travel westbound on Blackfriars Bridge. The rest of the cells should now be self-explanatory.
In contrast, the table below shows the cyclist observations from Session #1, which have been shown previously.
In Session #1 a total of 294 cyclists were observed in the 2-hour period between 1300 and 1500 hours of Sunday, May 29th, 2022. In Session #2 a total of 169 cyclists were observed in the 2-hour period between 1530 and 1730 hours of Friday, June 17th, 2022. That appears to be a substantial reduction of cyclist observations in Session #2. No conclusions will be made at this time. There is still much to do in terms of gathering more data.
Unofficially, while standing at the site, it appeared to us that the speed of eastbound motor vehicles was substantially higher in Session #2 than what we observed in Session #1. No speed calculations have been performed at this time so this is just an informal comment. It is expected that a detailed study of this issue with occur in the future.
Stay tuned as more analysis is continuing. We will be examining the volume of pedestrian traffic in Session #2. We also expect to conduct Session #3 in the near future, and possibly more. Eventually we will also be examining the speeds of the various observed units (motor vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians, etc.) and what collision conflicts may exist.
Lots more to come…
Gorski Consulting Involved in Annual Velo Cyclist Counts
This view, looking west along Dundas Street at Colborne is where cyclist observations were made by Gorski Consulting on the morning of June 8, 2022.
As per last year’s involvement, Gorski Consulting participated in Velo Canada’s cyclist counts that took place throughout Canada between June 7 and June 12, 2022. We volunteered to conduct observations between 0700 and 0900 hours along Dundas Street just west of Colborne Street on the eastern edge of downtown London. This was a chilly morning given the normally expected warm temperatures and this may have led to some lower cyclist observations. Never-the-less, 14 westbound and 15 eastbound cyclists were documented between the precise 2-hour time of 0654 and 0854 hours. The manner in which our video cameras were set up also allowed for views of cyclists travelling north-south along Colborne however, since we were not assigned to document cyclists on Colborne no official count has been made.
An example of one of our video cameras mounted to the back-side of a sign (in the foreground) at the south-east quadrant of the intersection of Dundas and Colborne Streets.
An example of a typical eastbound female cyclist stopped in the south cycling track of Dundas at Colborne.
The character of cycles is changing rapidly in London, Ontario. As shown here, e-bikes are becoming much more numerous.
As we conduct our observations there is no shortage of situations where cycling dangers unfold, even on a designated cycling track, as shown in the three photos below.
Here a westbound cyclist travelling on the north cycling track of Dundas Street encounters a motor vehicle which has come to a stop blocking the cyclist’s path.
As the cyclist approaches the stopped vehicle he veers out of the cycling track.
The cyclist must veer back to the right again when the rear end of a parked police vehicle encroaches in the cycling path.
Such unfortunate encounters occur regularly in numerous scenarios throughout the City of London. They cause some anger and intolerance. What we believe is that detailed, objective and unbiased data can help to educate all users of roadways in reducing instances of such potential danger.
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study Session #2 Reveals Doubling of Motor Vehicle Observations
Observations between 1530 and 1730 hours of June 17, 2022 showed that twice as many motor vehicles crossed the Blackfriars Bridge compared to similar testing on Sunday, May 29, 2022.
Preliminary results are now beginning to unfold from the 2nd Session of the Traffic Study at the Blackfriars Bridge in London, Ontario. In the inaugural documentations of May 29, 2022, a total of 78 vehicles were observed travelling eastbound over Blackfriars Bridge over a period of 2 hours. This was viewed as a very low volume. In the subsequent testing on June 17, 2022, the volume of eastbound vehicles rose to 158 in the same two-hour period. This is a doubling of the volume.
There is nothing extraordinary about these results. The May 29, 2022 testing was done on a Sunday afternoon between 1300 and 1500 hours. It would be expected that low motor vehicle volumes would occur. Similarly the volumes from June 17, 2022 were observed between 1530 and 1730 hours on a Friday afternoon. This is a peak hour for traffic volumes. So the results are not unexpected.
We are now entering the more difficult task of documenting the motions of pedestrians and cyclists at the site. It can be recalled from the May 29th documentations that there were vastly more cyclists and pedestrians than motor vehicles. Furthermore, the travel paths of pedestrians and cyclists were more complicated. This made it more time-consuming to complete the analysis. It is unknown what the result will be from the second session but we expect that similar patterns will emerge: many more pedestrians and cyclists will likely be documented. Of course this cannot be said for certain until the official tally is made. Stay tuned as we report on these further documentations…
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study – Session #2 Completed
Pedestrians stopped in the cycling lane of Blackfriars Bridge making the passing motion of a cyclist a little challenging on the date of Session #2 of the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study.
Session #2 of the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study was completed on Friday, June 17, 2022 between 1530 and 1800 hours. The video from 10 cameras will be copied and assembled into projects on the Adobe Premiere editting software, followed by further analysis. It will be interesting to compare these observations of a rush hour of a Friday afternoon to the original session which was completed on a Sunday afternoon. Stay tuned for more results…
The Phantom of Blackfriars Bridge
Who is the mysterious creature who walks over top of the historical Blackfriars Bridge in London Ontario?
While completing our Session #2 of videotaping at the Blackfriars Bridge a mysterious climber emerged, walking the trusses of the bridge like he was taking a stroll along a country lane. He was willing to speak but had nothing to say. Wearing nothing but black clothing and a full face black mask. At this latest encounter he appeared to stop and pose in the middle of the bridge, as if he dared someone to take his photo.
As if posing for a photo, this mysterious climber has been spotted on top of the Blackfriars Bridge on our second videotaping session. No information can be obtained of who he is or what his purpose.
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study – Preliminary Results From Session #1
Preliminary results are now available from the traffic study conducted by Gorski Consulting at the Blackfriars Bridge on May 29, 2022 in London, Ontario. A two-hour videotaping session was completed between 1300 and 1500 hours. This was a Sunday afternoon. The following are some high-lights of the analysis.
The focus of the study was in the area where the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP) intersected with the east end of Blackfriars Bridge. This is also where northbound Ridout Street terminates for motorized traffic. Four Google Maps views of the area as shown below.
This Google Maps view shows the location of the historic Blackfriars Bridge located at the north-west of downtown London, Ontario.
This Google Maps view of the site shows how Ridout Street and the Thames Valley Parkway intersect at the east end of Blackfriars Bridge. It is at this point of intersection that cyclists and pedestrians were documented interacting with eastbound vehicles crossing the bridge.
This is a view looking west toward Blackfriars Bridge with the intersection of the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP) in the foreground.
This is a view looking east from the east end of Blackfriars Bridge showing the intersection with the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP).
In total, 78 eastbound motor vehicles were documented travelling over Blackfriars Bridge. 294 cyclists were observed passing through the study area. 362 pedestrians were observed passing through the study area.
Approaches to the area were from four directions:
- Eastbound on Blackfriars Bridge.
- Northbound on Ridout Street.
- Southbound on the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP).
- Northbound on the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP).
Motor vehicles were constrained to travel just eastbound through the area. However, pedestrians and cyclists using the four directions of approach had three alternatives as to where they would go. This results in a matrix of 12 cells of different travel actions for pedestrians and cyclists. The two tables below show the frequencies of pedestrian and cyclist actions.
As an example, using the table of pedestrian actions, the first row shows the pedestrians who entered the area travelllng southbound along the Thames Valley Parkway. 143 pedestrians were observed entering the study area from this direction of travel. The table shows that 78 of those pedestrians continued southbound on the Thames Valley Parkway, 15 of those turned to travel southbound on Ridout Street and 50 of them turned to walk westbound onto Blackfriars Bridge. This should explain the meaning of the rest of the cells in the two tables.
Many issues reveal themselves once a detailed study is performed. Some of them unexpected, as demonstrated in the photo below.
For those believing that documentation of travels over the Blackfriars Bridge is a simple operation, how would you explain this method of bridge crossing by a unique pedestrian?
No further comment will be made about the results at this time. Using our methods it will be possible to calculate motor vehicle, pedestrian and cyclist speeds and thus examine any safety issues but these matters will be addressed at a future time. It is expected that at least one or two additional sessions will be performed.
If anyone is interested in participating in this study please contact me at my e-mail address: [email protected]
Blackfriars Bridge – 2 Video Projects Assembled And Ready for Future Analysis
Two video projects have now been created from our video documentation at the Blackfriars Bridge of May 29, 2022. Each project contains a selection of five video camera views focusing on two areas of interest.
In the first project, “Users of the TVP” camera views were selected that would show how users of the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP) travelled near the crossing at the east end of the Blackfriars Bridge. A frame from that project is shown below.
This is a frame taken from the “Users of TVP” project showing the status of the site at timecode 00;26;28;30.
In the second project, “EB Vehicles”, the focus was on tracking the approach of eastbound motor vehicles as they crossed Blackfriars Bridge and approached the TVP crossing. A frame from that project is shown below.
This frame was taken from the “EB Vehicles” project at timecode 00;24;39;40.
Although additional segments of video need to be added to extend the projects to their full, 2 hours sessions, the analysis is essentially ready to begin. A great amount of detail can be pulled from these projects but the analysis is also time-consuming. As a preliminary task we will probably conduct a single analysis of counting how many eastbound vehicles have been observed crossing the bridge without conducting any analysis of their speeds. Our general observations while at the site suggested that there were a small number of such vehicles.
Conducting a count of the “Users of the TVP” is likely to be more difficult as there were far more users than eastbound vehicles. Our video cameras will allow for calculations of speed of all these users but then again this will be time-consuming so it will not be attempted in the near future.
It is expected that (at least) a second videotaping session will take place, possibly as early as Thursday, June 2, 2022. This session will need to take place near the afternoon peak hours, perhaps between 1530 and 1730 hours. The first session was conducted on a Sunday afternoon so it will be important to also obtain data from a workday.
Blackfriars Bridge – First Official Videotaping Session Completed
The first official videotaping session was completed by Gorski Consulting at the Blackfriars Bridge in London Ontario on Sunday, May 29, 2022 between 1300 and 1500 hours. This photo shows a view of the various persons in the area during the videotaping session.
Weather conditions were perfect in the afternoon of May 29, 2022 such that the first videotaping session at the Blackfriars Bridge was completed between 1300 and 1500 hours. As expected a large number of users were observed on the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP) where it crosses at the east end of the Blackfriars Bridge. Ten video cameras were set up along the bridge as well as at the TVP crossing point. Once again it was our preliminary observation that there were few motor vehicles crossing the bridge.
We are now in the process of copying the videos and then shrinking the resolution so that they can be incorporated into a video project on the Adobe Premiere software. This shrinking is a time-consuming process and will likely take several days to complete. Once this is done the video segments will be synchronized in the project and we can begin to consider how analysis will evolve. If anyone is interested in being involved in the analysis please let us know.
Marlene, Truscott and Milgaard – Commitment to Justice System Reform Needs Your Involvement
David Milgaard was wrongly convicted by the Canadian justice system and spent 23 years in jail before finally being exonerated by DNA evidence. Regrettably he passed away a few weeks ago.
Before he died Milgaard was also the inspiration for a 2008 recommendation in a report of the public inquiry into his conviction, which suggested that the federal government establish an independent review commission to examine claims of wrongful conviction. Since that time Milgaard and his lawyer, James Lockyer, met with Canada’s Justice Minister, David Lametti to pursue the forming of the independent commission. Nothing has been resolved.
In the meantime a new movie, “Marlene”, has been shown in selected markets following the exploits of the wife of wrongfully-convicted Steven Truscott. Much like Milgaard’s mother, Marlene Truscott worked tirelessly to get her husband’s release. Events like these demonstrate how no official agency seems the least bit interested in making sure that wrongful convictions are over-turned. Instead, it is up to individual family members to make such changes happen. And if you do not have a dedicated family member to fight for you, you’re out of luck.
Indifference to the plight of others and an egotistical motivation toward self-interest can be the negative effects of our society’s focus on individualism and demands for the freedom to do as we please. When we choose to turn a blind eye towards societal ills those ills will eventually reach us, although often in an indirect way. Nowhere is that more important than in the functioning of our justice system.
Many understand that we cannot escape our responsibilities. It was Bob Dylan who reminded us in one of his songs that everyone has to serve somebody. One of our responsibilities is to ensure that our justice system is based on justice.
When we look to the idol of the blindfolded lady holding the scales of justice it is there to remind us that the facts of each case must be weighed independent of any bias. Thus Lady Justice must be blind to the race, wealth, gender, etc, of those being judged. Lady Justice must also be blind to her own ambitions, what benefits she may incur, or what penalties may flow from her righteous path. However we should not allow her to be blind to the facts and truths presented while submitting a preordained verdict. Lady Justice cannot be a robot that follows the programming instructions of a computer chip.
In our indifference to the essential need for transparency we are complicate in her wrongful deeds. When we know that we are not being provided with the necessary transparency that is the cornerstone of assurance that the players in the our justice system are playing by ethical standards, we have a responsibility to correct that wrong.
Recently we have seen the life of a black man being slowly snuffed out by the knee of an officer in a police uniform. While this occurred in the U.S. we have a responsibility to take action to ensure that it does not happen in Canada. It is our duty to be active and aware of what is happening around us.
We see the potential of being manipulated by many entities, whether it is the government, police, news media, the internet, society media, or even our friends and relatives, through the bombardment of repetitive messages causing us to lose the centre of our moral and logical compass. We must recognize our responsibility to detect the influence of persuasion and propaganda. It is also our duty to correctly evaluate whether we are being manipulated to believe in illogical conspiracy theories through the cultism that is growing in isolated internet chat groups. Seeing clearly in a sandstorm is not easy but a reasoned individual will pause to let the storm pass before selecting the proper direction of travel.
Blackfriars Bridge – Some Background Prior to Traffic Study
Blackfriars Bridge, looking west, in March, 2022. This historic structure in London, Ontario, is the focus of a City of London Long-Term Usage Study to be completed likely before 2023. In the interim Gorski Consulting is preparing an independent traffic study that can be used to compare with the City’s official results.
After Blackfriars Bridge was refurbished in December 2018, the City of London stopped motor vehicle access to it in April 2020, due to concerns over physical distancing due to the CIVID-19 pandemic. In November 2021 the bridge was reopened to eastbound, motorized traffic despite a petition, signed by over 500 residents, requesting that the bridge remain closed to motorized traffic.
Some of the concerns expressed by the petition organizer, Chris DeGroot, were that “users of the bridge are not comfortable with getting squeezed to the sides while cars whiz past”. Safety of users of all ages and abilities was a general concern but also usage of the bridge by heavier motor vehicles could mean that repairs would have to be made again in the not too distant future. Neither the City or nor the signers of the petition provided any objective data to support their decisions. Although the City indicated they would complete a usage study it remains unknown to what degree detailed data of that study will be released for the public’s consideration.
City officials were quoted as saying that the opening of Blackfriars Bridge to motorized traffic was due to the loosening of pandemic restrictions and changes in the usage patterns along the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP) which crosses just east of the bridge. It was suggested that the pandemic caused higher usage of the TVP adding concerns about conflicts with motorized traffic. But as the pandemic has receded the usage of the TVP has returned to more normal activity.
Garfield Dales, Manager of Transportation Planning and Design commented that “Early in the pandemic, we did see a lot of folks out using the parks and the trail network in that area. That’s really what led to the closing at that point in time”. This comment would imply that the City had conducted usage studies of the TVP at the Blackfriars Bridge yet nothing has been made publicly available as to how those studies were conducted, when they were conducted and what the specific results were. This is the type of lack of cooperation with public awareness that suggests that the future, long-term, usage study will also provide very little specifics to the public.
Comments made by City of London officials suggest that studies have been made of the usage of the Thames Valley Parkway where it crosses the east end of Blackfriars Bridge. Yet there has never been any public release of those details. Conflicts such as the one shown in this photo need to be known to understand what needs to be done about usage restrictions on the bridge.
The lines of sight provided near the east end of the Blackfriars Bridge could be of concern. As shown in the above photo fencing, along with the bridge supports, result in limited opportunities for drivers of eastbound motor vehicles to see the approach of higher speed users on the TVP such as cyclists and joggers. If the speed of motorized vehicles is relatively low then this could minimize the concern. Also if there are very few motorized vehicles this also reduces the exposure. The number of conflicts and the severity of consequences of a collision are unknown because no useful data has been made publicly available. But that will change with the study to be completed shortly by Gorski Consulting.
While conducting preliminary examinations of camera positions Gorski Consulting has made some preliminary, video observations of traffic. During four visits to the site a total of 1.5 hours of video was completed. During this time only 64 vehicles were documented crossing the bridge. This is a very small traffic volume.
View, looking north, to the north side of Blackfriars Bridge where a GoPro camera has been mounted to the bridge railing. The camera is pointing at an orange line painted on the eastbound lane of the bridge. By noting the time taken for vehicles to pass between these markings an average speed is obtained.
Close-up view of video camera mounted to the railing of Blackfriars bridge. This camera documents the passage of vehicles across a painted marking in the eastbound lane allowing for calculations of average speed.
A test was conducted of our camera locations on May 19, 2022 which were positioned to document the speed of eastbound vehicles as they crossed Blackfriars Bridge. Over a time of 36 minutes 29 vehicle observations were made and their speeds were determined over three, 25-metre segments approaching the TVP. Approaching eastward along the bridge the average speed of motorized vehicles in these segments was 28.1, 29.0 and 25.4 km/h respectively. Two vehicles were observed travelling at over 40 km/h. This is the kind of data that will be useful once a full documentation of motor-vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians is made in the up-coming, official study. Our preliminary observations suggest that there are a large number of users of the TVP crossing at the east end of the bridge and therefore there is a need to consider the number of conflicts. This especially so when more users are riding on faster e-bike, motorized scooters and similar units that may provide minimal opportunity to detect their approach into the crossing.
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