Protesters are planning to shut down Victoria’s Johnson Street Bridge for part of Monday to raise awareness about climate change.
The protest, organized by the environmental activism group Extinction Rebellion, will close the bridge from around 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Organizers say emergency vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists will be allowed through.
“We are aware of the planned event on Monday and, as always with public demonstrations and protests, our focus will be on ensuring public safety at the event,” said Bowen Osoko, acting Victoria Police spokesperson.
A similar protest shut the bridge for several hours in December.
This time, the Bay Street bridge is closed to eastbound traffic due to construction, which will mean even more traffic headaches.
Drivers can reroute through Saanich, but expect detours and delays in the Gorge Road West and Albina Street area as work continues to repair work on a large sinkhole.
On Monday morning, protesters shut down a handful of bridges across Canada as part of the global effort to push for more urgent action on climate change.
Activists with Extinction Rebellion blocked traffic on bridges in Halifax, Toronto and Edmonton, with similar protests planned for Montreal and Vancouver later in the day.
At Edmonton’s Walterdale Bridge, video shows a handful of protesters being angrily confronted by one man urging them to allow one lane of traffic through so drivers could make their way to work.
The scene was more peaceful at the bridge spanning Toronto’s Bloor Viaduct, where police officers were on scene monitoring the protest, but said no arrests were expected.
Halifax police Const. John MacLeod says less than 100 protesters had gathered at the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge linking the city with nearby Dartmouth, prompting officers to close the area to all traffic.
The protesters marched down to the bridge toll plaza waving flags and signs before congregating in an area near the tolls as police cruisers blocked traffic on routes leading to the bridge.
“The #BridgeOut campaign points out that the bridge to the future is being demolished by big oil, and oily politicians,” a Facebook page about the protest says.
In April, Extinction Rebellion UK members held peaceful protests at four different sites in London, England, including the Waterloo Bridge, for about a week.
“We regret that ordinary people will be frustrated by the commute disruption, but the collapse of human society would be a much bigger inconvenience.”
With files from Canadian Press
CHEK News
