Critical Mass London: last friday of the month South Bank by National Theatre, 6.30pm

A number of Southwark Cyclists are quite rightly expressing huge frustration about planning decisions being made which affect Blackfriars and London Bridge so some of us will be participating in CM this week by way of protest.

Here's why exactly:

Blackfriars - despite thousands of petitions, the vote of the entire London Assembly, the Mayor commenting something needs to be done, TfL is going ahead with its original plan. The building work starts on Saturday.

If Jenny Jones is right, that means no cycle lanes, extra traffic lanes, none of the even tiny and hard fought for gains people thought they had won for cycling.

London Bridge - Network Rail is simply culling the route to Bermondsey. That's it. It's gone. One week for the folk in Southwark to try and get a protest registered with the Council.

So what's the rationale for doing CM? This is what one member has said to me today:

"It boils down to this. We've been terribly polite. We've talked to the politicians. We've won over every one of the political parties. It's taken months and months. And nothing is going to change. If anything, TfL is even less inclined to do things that might London a city that isn't car-sick.

I'm not prone to protest. But I've had enough of TfL and its behaviour. I've tried the political approach. And I think TfL has just stuck two fingers up at the politicians as well as me.

Blackfriars isn't just about the bridge. It's about how I feel TfL ignores cycling all across London. But the Bridge itself is a focal point. And from Monday morning, you can start to say hullo to a new motorway in the middle of town."

For more background: http://bit.ly/nMPvAE

I hope as many people as possible might consider joining.