58-859: Blackfriars Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge , carrying the A201 road . The north end is in the City of London near the Inns of Court and Temple Church , along with Blackfriars station . The south end is in the London Borough of Southwark , near the Tate Modern art gallery and the Oxo Tower . Opened in
116-399: A frontal impact. In such a situation, an adult pedestrian is struck by a car front (for instance, the bumper touches either the leg or knee-joint area), accelerating the lower part of the body forward while "the upper body is rotated and accelerated relative to the car," at which point the pelvis and thorax are hit. Then the head hits the windscreen at the velocity of the striking car. Finally,
174-596: A goods stop until 1964 when it was completely demolished, and much of it redeveloped into offices. The River Fleet empties into the Thames under the north end of Blackfriars Bridge. The structure was given Grade II listed status in 1972. In 1774 the new bridge was mentioned in a popular song in Charles Dibdin 's opera The Waterman , referring to the boatmen who used to carry fashionable folks to Vauxhall Gardens and Ranelagh Gardens . And did you not hear of
232-467: A high priority in many large cities in Western Europe, often in conjunction with public transport enhancements. In Copenhagen , the world's longest pedestrian shopping area, Strøget , has been developed over the last 40 years, principally due to the work of Danish architect Jan Gehl , a principle of urban design known as copenhagenisation . Safety is an important issue where cars can cross
290-714: A hurricane over London. The bridge was featured in the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). The Order of the Phoenix passes under it on their flight from number four, Privet Drive to Grimmauld Place. In Terry Gilliam 's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), Heath Ledger 's character Tony is found hanging under the Blackfriars Bridge, described by Terry Gilliam as "an homage to Roberto Calvi ". In Cassandra Clare 's book series The Infernal Devices , Tessa Gray and Jem Carstairs meet at
348-411: A loss of £250,000 on the project. The metalwork for the bridge was ultimately constructed by The Patent Shaft and Axletree Company, Wednesbury , following their acquisition of Lloyds, Foster and Company. The present bridge which on 6 November 1869 was opened by Queen Victoria is 923 feet (281 m) long, consisting of five wrought iron arches built to a design by Joseph Cubitt . Cubitt also designed
406-439: A major reconfiguration. The original Blackfriars Bridge was dismantled in 1860. P.A. Thom & Company won the contract for the bridge's reconstruction, and they placed an order with Lloyds, Foster and Company for the required ironwork. However, P.A. Thom encountered difficulties in finding stable foundations for the bridge, which ultimately led to financial troubles. As a result, Lloyds, Foster and Company went bankrupt, suffering
464-610: A process of removing vehicular traffic from city streets or restricting vehicular access to streets for use by pedestrians, to improve the environment and safety. Efforts are under way by pedestrian advocacy groups to restore pedestrian access to new developments, especially to counteract newer developments, 20% to 30% of which in the United States do not include footpaths. Some activists advocate large pedestrian zones where only pedestrians, or pedestrians and some non-motorised vehicles, are allowed. Many urbanists have extolled
522-514: A relief of the coat of arms of the City of London Corporation . The ends of the bridge are shaped like a pulpit in a reference to Black Friars. The bridge gave its name to Blackfriars Bridge railway station on the southern bank which opened in 1864 before closing to passengers in 1885 following the opening of what is today the main Blackfriars station . Blackfriars Bridge station continued as
580-509: A road or pavement (US: sidewalk), but this was not the case historically. Pedestrians may also be wheelchair users or other disabled people who use mobility aids . The meaning of pedestrian is displayed with the morphemes ped- ('foot') and -ian ('characteristic of'). This word is derived from the Latin term pedester ('going on foot') and was first used (in the English language) during
638-480: A road with no footpath. Indoor pedestrian networks connect the different rooms or spaces of a building. Airports, museums, campuses, hospitals and shopping centres might have tools allowing for the computation of the shortest paths between two destinations. Their increasing availability is due to the complexity of path finding in these facilities. Different mapping tools, such as OpenStreetMap , are extending to indoor spaces. Pedestrianisation might be considered as
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#1732772526281696-417: A road; these include urban short cuts and also rural paths used mainly by ramblers, hikers, or hill-walkers. Footpaths in mountainous or forested areas may also be called trails . Pedestrians share some footpaths with horses and bicycles: these paths may be known as bridleways. Other byways used by walkers are also accessible to vehicles . There are also many roads with no footpath. Some modern towns (such as
754-568: A single trustee, the City of London Corporation, represented by the City Bridge Foundation Board. It was originally established to maintain London Bridge and, subsequently, other bridges. Funded by bridge tolls and charitable donations, the foundation acquired an extensive property portfolio which made it more than self-sufficient. As well as maintaining the bridges, the foundation also makes charitable grants. It
812-425: A vehicle. The Traffic Injury Research Foundation describes pedestrians as vulnerable road users because they are not protected in the same way as occupants of motor vehicles. There is an increasing focus on pedestrians versus motor vehicles in many countries. Most pedestrian injuries occur while they are crossing a street. Most crashes involving a pedestrian occur at night. Most pedestrian fatalities are killed by
870-562: Is a footbridge . In Britain, regardless of whether there is a footpath, pedestrians have the legal right to use most public roads, excluding motorways and some toll tunnels and bridges such as the Blackwall Tunnel and the Dartford Crossing — although sometimes it may endanger the pedestrian and other road users. The UK Highway Code advises that pedestrians should walk in the opposite direction to oncoming traffic on
928-572: Is greater than 40 km/h. Among the factors which reduce road safety for pedestrians are wider lanes, roadway widening, and roadways designed for higher speeds and with increased numbers of traffic lanes. For this reason, some European cities such as Freiburg (Germany) have lowered the speed limit to 30 km/h on 90% of its streets, to reduce risk for its 15 000 people. With such policy, 24% of daily trips are performed by foot, against 28% by bicycles, 20% by public transport and 28% by car. (See Zone 30 .) A similar set of policies to discourage
986-583: Is important both for human health and for the natural environment . Frequent exercise such as walking tends to reduce the chance of obesity and related medical problems. In contrast, using a car for short trips tends to contribute both to obesity and via vehicle emissions to climate change: internal combustion engines are more inefficient and highly polluting during their first minutes of operation (engine cold start). General availability of public transportation encourages walking, as it will not, in most cases, take one directly to one's destination. In Unicode ,
1044-403: Is introduced as an orphan in early 19th-century London who lives with her orphan gang under Blackfriars Bridge. The bridge appears during the opening sequence of the film Happy-Go-Lucky , where the main character rides across it on a bicycle. In the 1998 spy film The Avengers , the bridge is destroyed by a tornado caused by a weather-changing machine built by a mad scientist when he causes
1102-572: Is no financial support from the government or any other fund. If one of the bridges happened to collapse, the charity would have to rebuild it out of the endowment. The good stewardship of the property and investments of the estates by the City has led to the accumulation of surplus funds over any such demand on its resources. Therefore, the City sought from the Charity Commission to implement a cy-près scheme to extend its objects (purposes) since September 1995 to make charitable grants within
1160-492: Is one of three trust funds managed by the City of London, the other two being the City Fund and the City's Cash . Since it was established, the foundation has maintained, and on several occasions replaced, London Bridge. The foundation also built Blackfriars Bridge and Tower Bridge , and purchased Southwark Bridge from the toll-exacting private company that built it. Most recently it took over ownership and maintenance of
1218-552: The Charities (The Bridge House Estates) Order 2001 (Statutory Instrument 4017). Originally funded by tolls on London Bridge, the rents and leases of the buildings that were on it and also by charitable donations, the Bridge House Estates acquired an extensive property portfolio which made it self-sufficient. The fund administered by the Bridge House Estates is solely responsible for the five City Bridges. There
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#17327725262811276-649: The River Thames , near the site of St Olave's Church (since replaced by St Olaf House in Tooley Street ). The site, now covered by the London Bridge Hospital and the Cotton's Centre, was constituted of at least two properties in Southwark. The first was that of Peter of Colechurch the warden of the bridge from 1163, and probably a monastic dwelling. The second property was the house left by
1334-477: The hexadecimal code for "pedestrian" is 1F6B6 . In XML and HTML, the string 🚶 produces 🚶. Bridge House Estates City Bridge Foundation is the working name of the historic Bridge House Estates , which originated in the late eleventh century and was formally established by royal charter in 1282 by the City of London Corporation in London , England. It is a registered charity governed by
1392-665: The 1000 hours. Since the 20th century, interest in walking as a sport has dropped. Racewalking is still an Olympic sport, but fails to catch public attention as it did. However major walking feats are still performed, such as the Land's End to John o' Groats walk in the United Kingdom, and the traversal of North America from coast to coast. The first person to walk around the world was Dave Kunst who started his walk traveling east from Waseca, Minnesota on 20 June 1970 and completed his journey on 5 October 1974, when he re-entered
1450-406: The 1860s, it replaced an earlier bridge from the 1760s. The first fixed crossing at Blackfriars was a 995-foot (303 m) long toll bridge designed in an Italianate style by Robert Mylne and constructed with nine semi-elliptical arches of Portland stone. Beating designs by John Gwynn and George Dance , it took nine years to build, opening to the public in 1769. It was the third bridge across
1508-543: The 18th century. It was originally used, and can still be used today, as an adjective meaning plain or dull. However, in this article it takes on its noun form and refers to someone who walks. The word pedestrian may have been used in middle French in the Recueil des Croniques et Anchiennes Istories de la Grant Bretaigne . Walking has always been the primary means of human locomotion. The first humans to migrate from Africa, about 60,000 years ago, walked. They walked along
1566-634: The Board is Paul Martinelli. In addition to its royal charter of 1282, the Bridge House Estates operates with respect to various legislative powers, e.g., the Blackfriars Bridge Act 1863 , the Blackfriars and Southwark Bridge Act 1867 , the Corporation of London (Tower Bridge) Act 1885 for its maintenance role and for its general charitable role under the Charities (The Bridge House Estates) Order 1995 ( Statutory Instrument 1047), and
1624-1204: The Netherlands, 4.3 in Sweden, 4.5 in Wales, 5.3 in New Zealand, 6.0 in Germany; 7.1 in the whole United Kingdom, 7.5 in Australia, 8.4 in France, 8.4 in Spain, 9.4 in Italy, 11.1 in Israel, 13 in Japan, 13.8 in Greece, 18.5 in the United States, 22.9 in Poland, and 36.3 in Romania. It is well documented that a minor increase in speed might greatly increase the likelihood of a crash, and exacerbate resulting casualties. For this reason,
1682-458: The Thames at its north side. By taking an access road from its southern landing to a junction with the routes created to simplify passage between those bridges to its east and west to the south it would also add to those improvements. This created the junction at St George's Circus between Westminster Bridge Road , Borough Road and the later named Blackfriars Road which crossed the largely open parish of Christchurch Surrey . The continuation to
1740-631: The Thames in the then built-up area of London, supplementing the ancient London Bridge , which dated from several centuries earlier, and Westminster Bridge . It was originally named "William Pitt Bridge" (after the Prime Minister William Pitt the Elder ) as a dedication, but its informal name relating to the precinct within the City named after the Blackfriars Monastery, a Dominican priory which once stood nearby,
1798-672: The US, some pedestrians have just 40 seconds to cross a street 10 lanes wide. Pedestrian fatalities are much more common in accident situations in the European Union than in the United States. In the European Union countries, more than 200,000 pedestrians and cyclists are injured annually. Also, each year, more than 270 000 pedestrians lose their lives on the world's roads. At a global level pedestrians constitute 22% of all road deaths, but might be two-thirds in some countries. Pedestrian fatalities, in 2016, were 2.6 per million population in
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1856-465: The West (upstream) side show freshwater birds – reflecting the role of Blackfriars as the tidal turning point. On the north side of the bridge is a statue of Queen Victoria (funded by Sir Alfred Seale Haslam ), to whom the bridge was dedicated. At the north end of the bridge is a commemorative plaque documenting the bridge's history, including its reopening in 1909 by Lord Mayor Truscott, accompanied by
1914-501: The adjacent rail bridge (now demolished) and it was a condition that the spans and piers of the two bridges be aligned. Like its predecessor it is owned and maintained by the Bridge House Estates , a charitable trust overseen by the City of London Corporation . The Blackfriars and Southwark Bridges Act 1867 put the full length and its southern end within the city's borders, in the parish of St Anne Blackfriars, and not in
1972-524: The adjoining borough of Southwark . Due to the volume of traffic over the bridge, it was widened between 1907 and 1910, from 70 feet (21 m) to its present 105 feet (32 m). On 14 September 1909 a tram line was opened across the newly widened bridge by the Lord Mayor of London, George Wyatt Truscott . It closed on 5 July 1952. The bridge attracted some international attention in June 1982, when
2030-452: The body of Roberto Calvi , a former chairman of Italy's largest private bank, was found hanging from one of its arches with five bricks and around $ 14,000 in three different currencies in his pockets. Calvi's death was initially treated as suicide, but he was on the run from Italy accused of embezzlement and in 2002 forensic experts concluded that he had been murdered by the Mafia , to whom he
2088-423: The bridge every year from 1878 to 2008 except for 1941 as it was deemed too dangerous due to World War II. They also get married there. The many difficulties encountered and innovations used in building the first Blackfriars Bridge 1759–69 are described in: Foot traffic A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In modern times, the term usually refers to someone walking on
2146-552: The charity funding arm was known as City Bridge Trust. In September 2023 Bridge House Estates and the City Bridge Trust merged unifying the brand as the City Bridge Foundation, however the formal entity name is still the Bridge House Estates. The Bridge House Estates took its name from Bridge House , which was the administrative and maintenance centre of Old London Bridge located on the south bank of
2204-492: The church of St Olave, Southwark (now in the north transept of Southwark Cathedral ) has the Bridge Mark carved onto it to balance the City's shield, and shows a date of 1674. The Bridge House Estates was established by the grant of a royal charter on 24 May 1282, and the sole trustee is the City of London Corporation . The trustee is the legal but not beneficial owner of the trust property—it may only be used for
2262-489: The coast of India to reach Australia. They walked across Asia to reach the Americas, and from Central Asia into Europe. With the advent of the cars at the beginning of the 20th century, the main story is that the cars took over, and "people chose the car", but there were many groups and movements that held on to walking as their preferred means of daily transport and some who organised to promote walking, and to counterbalance
2320-535: The jolly young waterman, Who at Blackfriars Bridge used for to ply? And he feathered his oars with such skill and dexterity, Winning each heart and delighting each eye. A Bailey bridge constructed over the River Rhine at Rees, Germany , in 1945 by the Royal Canadian Engineers (R.C.E.) was named "Blackfriars Bridge", and, at 558 m (1814 ft) including the ramps at each end,
2378-516: The legitimate purposes for which the fund was created. Bridge House Estates are run by a committee of the City of London Corporation called the City Bridge Foundation Board (formerly the Bridge House Estates Board). Formed in 2021, the chairship is held by a Common Councillor on a four-year rotation; the first Chair was Giles Shilson , who as of May 2024 was in post from May 2021 until November 2024. The current Chair of
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2436-669: The new suburbs of Peterborough in England) are designed with the network of footpaths and cycle paths almost entirely separate from the road network. The term trail is also used by the authorities in some countries to mean any footpath that is not attached to a road or street. If such footpaths are in urban environments and are meant for both pedestrians and pedal cyclists, they can be called shared use paths or multi-use paths in general and official usage. нуПЬ Some shopping streets are for pedestrians only. Some roads have special pedestrian crossings . A bridge solely for pedestrians
2494-481: The pedestrian way. Drivers and pedestrians share some responsibility for improving safety of road users. Road traffic crashes are not inevitable; they are both predictable and preventable. Key risks for pedestrians are well known. Among the well-documented factors are driver behaviour (including speeding and drunk driving); infrastructure missing facilities (including pavements, crossings and islands ); and vehicle designs which are not forgiving to pedestrians struck by
2552-591: The pedestrian-only Millennium Bridge , having provided a large amount of the funding for its construction. The estate owns significant amounts of property in the City of London , including the Old Bailey . Until 1995, the foundation was permitted to use its income only for expenditure on its bridges. However, with a surplus of income over expenditure, a cy-près scheme was adopted in that year to allow any surplus income to be used for other charitable purposes benefiting Greater London . From 1995 to September 2023
2610-781: The recommended maximum speed is 30 km/h (20 mph) or 40 km/h (25 mph) in residential and high pedestrian traffic areas, with enforced traffic rules on speed limits and traffic-calming measures. The design of road and streets plays a key role in pedestrian safety. Roads are too often designed for motorized vehicles, without taking into account pedestrian and bicycle needs. The non-existence of sidewalk and signals increases risk for pedestrians. This defect might more easily be observed on arterial roadways, intersections and fast-speed lanes without adequate attention to pedestrian facilities. For instance, an assessment of roads in countries from many continents shows that 84% of roads are without pedestrian footpaths, while maximum limited speed
2668-507: The riverfront. It has been the identifying emblem of the Bridge House Estates for many centuries, but the latter now uses the City of London arms as an emblem. It was thought likely that the mark as we know it today was designed by a famous 17th-century surveyor, William Leybourn . It appears drawn on a plan of 1680 which it is thought he adapted from a similar mark drawn against plots owned by Bridge House Estates on an earlier plan of St George's Fields in Southwark. The City sword rest from
2726-409: The site of 46% of all pedestrian deaths in the country. The advent of SUVs is considered a leading cause; speculation of other factors includes population growth, driver distraction with mobile phones, poor street lighting, alcohol and drugs and speeding. Cities have had mixed results in addressing pedestrian safety with Vision zero plan: Los Angeles fails while NYC has had success. Nonetheless, in
2784-479: The south at the major junction at Elephant and Castle is therefore named London Road . Although it was built of Portland stone the workmanship was very faulty. Between 1833 and 1840 extensive repairs were necessary, until at last it was decided to build a new bridge on the same site, which coincided with the creation of the Thames Embankment 's junction with the new Queen Victoria Street and required
2842-634: The town from the west. These feats are often tied to charitable fundraising and are undertaken, among others, by celebrities such as Sir Jimmy Savile and Ian Botham . Roads often have a designated footpath for pedestrian traffic , called the sidewalk in North American English , the pavement in British English , and the footpath in Australian and New Zealand English . There are also footpaths not associated with
2900-605: The use of cars and increase safety for pedestrians has been implemented by the Northern European capitals of Oslo and Helsinki. In 2019, this resulted in both cities counting zero pedestrian deaths for the first time. In Europe, pedestrian fatalities have a seasonal factor, with 6% of annual fatalities occurring in April but 13% (twice more) in December. The rationale for such a change might be complex. Regular walking
2958-438: The victim falls to the ground. Research has shown that urban crimes, or the mere perception of crimes, severely affect the mental and physical health of pedestrians. Inter-pedestrian behaviour, without the involvement of vehicles, is also a key factor to pedestrian safety. Some special interest groups consider pedestrian fatalities on American roads a carnage. Five states – Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas – are
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#17327725262813016-533: The virtues of pedestrian streets in urban areas. In the US the proportion of households without a car is 8%, but a notable exception is New York City , the only locality in the United States where more than half of all households do not own a car (the figure is even higher in Manhattan, over 75%). The use of cars for short journeys is officially discouraged in many parts of the world, and construction or separation of dedicated walking routes in city centres receives
3074-548: The widely-held view that often favoured cars, e.g. as related by Peter Norton . During the 18th and 19th centuries, pedestrianism (walking) was non a popular spectator sport, just as equestrianism (riding) still is in places. One of the most famous pedestrians of that period was Captain Robert Barclay Allardice , known as "The Celebrated Pedestrian", of Stonehaven in Scotland. His most impressive feat
3132-583: The will of Henry fitz Ailwin , first named Mayor of London, in 1215. The bridge became part of the City's jurisdiction from 1282, and this led to the City attempting to extend control over Southwark , succeeding in acquiring the 'vill of Southwark' alias the Guildable Manor in 1327. Known as the Bridge Mark , the logo of Bridge House Estates is one of the oldest logos in continuous use and can be found carved into stonework in many places along
3190-464: Was generally adopted. It was later made toll free. The City of London Corporation was responsible for promoting it and the location between the other two bridges was chosen because it was realised that the disused wharfage of the lower River Fleet from the Thames to what became Ludgate Circus would allow access into the north bank without unduly disrupting the neighbourhood; hence its name of New Bridge Street . The Fleet can be seen discharging into
3248-573: Was indebted. In 2005, five suspected members of the Mafia were tried in a Rome court for Calvi's murder, but all were acquitted in June 2007 for lack of evidence. On the piers of the bridge are stone carvings of water birds by sculptor John Birnie Philip . On the East (downstream) side (i.e. the side closer to the Thames Estuary and North Sea ), the carvings show marine life and seabirds; those on
3306-551: Was the longest Bailey bridge then constructed. In Neil Gaiman 's Neverwhere , "Blackfriars Bridge" was named as the home of an unknown order of monks who held the key to an angelic prison. The bridge is also featured in the lyrics of the song "The Resurrectionist" by the Pet Shop Boys . In Louis A. Meyer 's Bloody Jack: Being An Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy , Jacky
3364-410: Was to walk 1 mile (1.6 km) every hour for 1000 hours, which he achieved between 1 June and 12 July 1809. This feat captured many people's imagination, and around 10,000 people came to watch over the course of the event. During the rest of the 19th century, many people tried to repeat this feat, including Ada Anderson who developed it further and walked a half-mile (800 m) each quarter-hour over
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