Blind and partially sighted Londoners have said that they feel ‘locked out’ of parts of the city as they fear being hit by ‘arrogant’ cyclist at floating bus stops. These are comprised of a bus shelter and a cycle lane, which pedestrians have to cross.
Andrew Hodgson, 68, is now retired having worked as an actor, including in the ITV drama Heartbeat, and lives in Hammersmith and Fulham. He told MyLondon, after he and others had handed in a petition to the Department for Transport (DfT) on behalf of the National Federation for the Blind UK (NFBUK) on Tuesday (May 14) that blind people struggle to find crossings at bus stop bypasses, and pedestrians with visual impairments ‘can’t trust cyclists to stop’.
Mr Hodgson added that buses should ‘draw into the pavement’ instead, as they do elsewhere. He said he would also like to see a sign ‘inviting cyclists to wait behind the bus’. However, the cycle lanes should still somehow be kept, he thinks, as they are a ‘benefit’ to cyclists.
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Mr Hodgson – who is more or less totally blind – said: “There was a time when London boasted the most accessible fleet of buses, probably. The access was direct from the pavement, to and from the pavement, to buses, and this is no longer the case, because, what has been introduced are bus stop by passes and bus stop borders, where people have to get off the bus and cross a cycle lane to get onto the pavement.
‘We can’t trust cyclists to stop’
“There are crossings installed, to cross the cycle lane. The problem is actually finding the crossings. But the problem is also the behaviour of cyclists. We can’t trust cyclists to stop at these crossings, and so we think that the only solution is for buses to draw into the pavement and there should be a sign inviting cyclists to wait behind the bus.
“But the cycle lanes should be kept because they’re a benefit to cyclists. But these bus stop bypasses are not a benefit to us, nor to other older people or other disabled people.”
Mr Hodgson explained that he has tried to use floating bus stops, but no longer because he considers them to be too dangerous. He added that, in order to use the supermarket he likes to buy his groceries from, he has to get off at the stop afterwards, which is not a bypass, and crosses over a standard crossing.
“I don’t see why I have to do that”, Mr Hodgson said, “it’s really taking away my human rights. It’s making it more inconvenient if it’s wet.” Asked if he finds himself staying inside more because of the infrastructure, he said that he does ‘not allow himself’ do this, but added that he is sure that for others that is the case.
‘I’m more reliant on other people, and I don’t want this to be the case’
“I’m more reliant on other people, and I don’t want this to be the case. Because you can’t always guarantee that there’s going to be somebody that can take you out.”
Kasia Kubaszek, 44, who moved to London from Poland in 2004, is studying counselling and is involved invarious accessibly testing programmes. She said that she is wary of using bus stop bypasses in Chiswick and Hammersmith alone, as she fears being run into by a cyclist.
She has to therefore ask her PA to accompany her, which costs her money, and adds that she has been forced to change which shops she visits. Ms Kubaszek – who lost most of her sight after her optic nerves were damaged by a brain tumour – added that she believes that cyclists are being prioritised too much by TfL, as opposed to the needs of disabled people.
She told MyLondon: “They [floating bus stops] impair me more than my sight impairs me, really […] If there’s a floating bus stop, I just choose not to go there on my own. I just can’t.”
‘I’m basically locked out’
Ms Kubaszek added: “So I’m basically locked out of Chiswick High Road. I cannot go there on my own, anymore […] But I hope that the whole system will be scrapped, and the bus stops will be placed again on the pavement, where people can get off and get on buses safely.”
“Lots of cyclists and people who use e-scooters and e-bikes are just completely reckless,” she added, “They just cycle […] I feel the fact that they are being prioritised just feeds into their arrogance. Not everyone is like that, but I suppose you don’t really notice those who stop and who obey the highway code.”
Ms Kubaszek also said that she finds herself spending more time indoors because of her concerns. “If I have to go there, I have to go there with someone,” she explained.
TfL’s response
Christina Calderato, TfL’s Director of Transport Strategy and Policy, said: “Keeping everyone travelling in the capital safe is our top priority and we’re determined to make the network as inclusive as possible, which is why we have carried out an extensive review of safety at bus stop bypasses. There is clear evidence from the report that the likelihood of a pedestrian being injured by a cyclist at a bypass is very low.
“Our analysis also suggests that bus stop bypasses have not led to a reduction in bus stop use by older or disabled customers. Any moratorium on bus stop bypasses would put at risk the programme of work we are undertaking to improve cycle safety in London and encourage more people to cycle.
“We will continue to work with disabled people and accessibility groups to reflect on the findings of our review, including looking at design improvements and upgrades where necessary, and will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure that our transport network works for everyone.”
Earlier this week, TfL and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan’s cycling tsar, Will Norman, insisted that there is a ‘very low risk’ of cyclists hitting pedestrians at floating London bus stops. However, a TfL 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’.
Issue on the Tube
On the Tube, Mr Hodgson said that ‘cuts to staffing’ at stations have made things more difficult for people with visual impairments, who may need guidance to get on and off trains or to navigate stops. This is especially the case at more remote stations, he suggested, with some sometimes being completely unstaffed.
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