Transport for London (TfL) and Sadiq Khan’s cycling tsar have insisted that there is a ‘very low risk’ of cyclists hitting pedestrians at floating London bus stops. However, an audit found that cyclists’ behaviour needs to be improved, and ‘several bus stop bypasses have incorrect tactile paving, no zebra crossing or the bus stop island is too narrow’.
In addition, TfL officials state that, in video footage, ‘a significant proportion of cyclists did not yield to pedestrians at the zebra crossings as they should’. It comes after a clip was posted online of a cyclist ‘colliding with’ a person at a bus stop bypass – where bike lanes are routed next to a bus stop, with customers having to cross it when getting off or on a bus – near St. Thomas’ Hospital in Central London.
The National Federation of the Blind UK (NFBUK) said it had been filming a ‘chaotic downright dangerous’ situation at the Westminster Bridge bus stop. The organisation posted a video, which, it says, includes a ‘speeding cyclist crashing into an elderly person’.
READ MORE: Video of ‘dangerous’ London bus stop shows cyclist ‘colliding with pedestrian’
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It added on X that the floating bus stop design – which includes a protected cycle track alongside the bus route that ensures passengers alight from a bus directly onto a bus stop island and never directly onto a cycle track or road with oncoming traffic – is ‘not safe’.
‘There is work to do to improve designs and cyclist behaviour’
But, a report by TfL has now claimed that the risk to pedestrians is minimal. The Mayor of London’s cycling tsar, Will Norman, said on X: “Our analysis shows a very low risk of collisions between pedestrians and cyclists. But we know there’s work to do to improve designs and cyclist behaviour.
“Bus-stop bypasses are used around the world to facilitate safe cycling on bus routes. We cannot deliver safe cycling infrastructure without them. Stopping their use would put cyclists’ lives at risk, including disabled cyclists who use bikes as mobility aids.”
TfL’s report stated: “This review has shown that the risk of pedestrians being injured at bus stop bypasses is very low. There were four pedestrian casualties on bus stop bypasses over a three-year period, none of which appear to have happened on the zebra crossing, where the cyclist must give way to the pedestrian. To put this in context, 11,400 pedestrians were injured in collisions with motor vehicle drivers over the same time frame.
“The analysis of bus boarding patterns for older and disabled people found that the construction of a bus stop bypass did not subsequently affect overall numbers using that same bus stop. However, some disabled people were concerned about inconsistent bus stop bypass designs across London, which can cause confusion.”
‘Third of bus stop bypasses vary significantly from our best practice design guidance’
It added: “This was reflected in our design audit, which found more than a third of bus stop bypasses vary significantly from our best practice design guidance. For example, several bus stop bypasses have incorrect tactile paving, no zebra crossing or the bus stop island is too narrow.
“The video observations showed that when a pedestrian was at the zebra crossing, it was rare this coincided with a cyclist nearby on the track. Nevertheless, when there was an interaction, a significant proportion of cyclists did not yield to pedestrians at the zebra crossings as they should. Although not statistically significant, these observations align with concerns raised about people cycling not giving way at the bus stop bypass zebra crossings.”
The NFBUK has told MyLondon that they would like to see the Government enforce a moratorium on floating bus stops. The Guardian reported on Friday (May 10) that Mark Harper, the transport secretary, is ‘examining whether there should be a halt’ in the use of floating bus stops.
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