Sadiq Khan has refused to bow to pressure from within his own party to “pause” the roll-out of ‘floating bus stops’, amid concerns over the safety of older and disabled Londoners.
The mayor was urged last week by a Labour member of the London Assembly to order a halt to the ‘bus stop bypasses’, which are found where a cycle lane cuts a bus stop off from the rest of the pavement.
Mr Khan’s office has responded by saying that “very few collisions” have occurred between cyclists and pedestrians at the stops, but added that City Hall is “actively working with disabled and accessibility groups to look at improvements to the design, as well as the behaviour of road users”.
The floating bus stop design is intended to allow cyclists to keep moving, rather than being caught behind buses or forced to cycle out into busier lanes of traffic. Bus users are expected to cross the cycle lane to reach the pavement, usually via a ‘mini-zebra crossing’.
But the National Federation of the Blind of the UK (NFBUK) has said the bypasses are “chaotic, confusing and dangerous places which are not safe or accessible for blind and visually impaired people to use independently”.
A Transport for London (TfL) safety review, published in June, found that more than a third of the capital’s bus stop bypasses varied “significantly” from its best practice design guidance.
It added however: “The chance of being injured by someone cycling at a bus stop bypass is very low compared to the chance of being injured by a driver on the wider network”.
Despite this assurance, Labour assembly member Elly Baker said in a letter to the mayor last week that she was “still concerned” that the bypasses were hazardous for some pedestrians.
“The replies I have received have not allayed my concerns,” she wrote, adding: “Our buses remain by far our most accessible form of transport, and we must remain committed to the network both in word and deed and expand, not reduce, access to an affordable, accessible and effective bus network.”
She repeated her request “for a pause of the rollout of any new bus stop bypasses”.
Approached for comment, a spokeswoman for the mayor said: "Protected cycle routes, which can feature bus stop bypasses on bus routes, reduce the risk of injury to cyclists by 40-65 per cent and are an important part of London’s Vision Zero goal to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roads.
“Bus stop bypasses are in line with government guidance and are a nationally recognised approach to help avoid the dangers of cyclists going around buses into oncoming traffic.
“The mayor is committed to making London a more inclusive city and supporting more people to walk, cycle and take public transport. That is why he asked TfL to carry out a review into the safety of bus stop bypasses. TfL’s recent report found that very few collisions have occurred at bus stop bypasses and that they have not led to a reduction in bus stop use by older or disabled customers.
“However, we recognise the concerns that some people have, and we are actively working with disabled and accessibility groups to look at improvements to the design as well as the behaviour of road users to ensure bus stop bypasses are as safe as possible for everyone.”
