COMMUTERS forced to drive by the Tube strike yesterday found cyclists from the militant Reclaim the Streets group had blocked rush-hour routes. The cyclists also stormed London Transport's headquarters.
Peter Ford, London Transport's chairman, was confronted by about 10 protesters who reached his seventh-floor office. They were among 50 who burst into the St James's Park building shortly after 11 am as a protest by about 400 cyclists in Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square was ending.
The invasion resulted in nine arrests. A police officer and a security guard were hurt in the melee. Three other demonstrators were arrested for public order offences in the main protest.
The small group who reached Mr Ford's office charged past startled secretaries and hung banners out of the windows proclaiming their case.
"One of them started throwing my papers around," Mr Ford said. "I asked them to leave my family photographs alone, which they did.
"I asked them what the problem was and one said they were in favour of bicycles, so I told them I was a keen cyclist. Another said they were supporting the Tube drivers. A third said they were campaigning for more investment in public transport. I told them that on that issue we were on the same side."
Earlier, with traffic heavy because of the seventh one-day Tube strike, in which only six trains ran, the cyclists converged on Trafalgar Square. Frustrated motorists sat helpless as the demonstrators moved from Trafalgar Square through Whitehall to Parliament Square and then back again.
Chris Roberts, spokesman for Reclaim the Streets, said motorists had been given advance notice of the anti-car protest and should have left their vehicles at home.
The cyclists' action was condemned by the AA. "Direct action protests cause chaos, and illegal activities can cause disruption to emergency services and people having to make urgent journeys," a spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the Royal Mail has sent letters to 130,000 members of the striking Union of Communication Workers, setting out a deal accepted by union negotiators but not by union leaders.
Post Office management hopes its action will lead to union members demanding a chance to vote on the offer.
