Transport for London (TfL) has insisted that floating bus stops carry a “very low” risk for pedestrians, despite campaigners warning of dangers to older and disabled people. The road layouts force passengers to cross a cycle lane to board or exit a bus.
While TfL relies on them to build protected cycleways without taking road space from motorists, groups including the National Federation of the Blind have repeatedly raised alarm over their safety and accessibility. Last year, ministers paused the rollout of one type of these bus stops called Shared Use Bus Borders (SUBBs), where cycle lanes run directly in front of the stop. However, construction of floating bus stops, where bikes pass behind, was allowed to continue.
Safety review findings
Both these types make up around 1.5 per cent of the capital’s 19,000 bus stops. In a long-awaited safety review published yesterday (November 13), TfL maintained its stance that “the risk of pedestrians being injured at BSBs is very low” and that it was “rare” for a pedestrian and cyclist to “interact” – or collide – at a floating bus stop.
TfL claim there were only five pedestrian casualties involving cyclists and one involving an e-scooter over a three-year period analysed, compared to 11,400 pedestrians injured in collisions with motorists.
Campaigners respond
Sarah Gayton from the National Federation of the Blind said: “It’s dangerous, discriminatory and disgusting. The Mayor wants to gets people cycling without thinking of the impact on people in this city. There are lots of incidents, but nobody is reporting them.”
Gayton also warned that disabled Londoners, particularly those with sight or mobility impairments, are avoiding these stops altogether. The TfL report appears to confirm this, noting that when “comparing boarding levels at bus stops before and after bypasses were constructed between 2019 and 2022, there is a slightly greater reduction in the number of older and disabled passengers at bus stops where bus stop bypasses were constructed” by up to three per cent. However, they claimed this is not “statistically significant”.
Political and watchdog pressure
The report follows a London Assembly motion passed last week calling for a halt to new floating bus stops, warning the designs have left some passengers “fearing for their safety”. The motion, which is non-binding, cited a series of incidents at floating bus stops across the capital, including a disabled man who was hit in the ribs and ankle by an e-bike after getting off a bus in Camden.
London TravelWatch, the capital’s transport watchdog, also called for a pause on any new floating stops. Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, said: “The Mayor and I remain committed to enabling safe and sustainable travel across the capital for everyone. It’s encouraging to see data confirming that the risk of bus stop bypasses to pedestrians is extremely low, but also that TfL remains committed to making this infrastructure work for everyone.”
