Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

New London cycle lanes will undertake buses at bus stops

Lanes will cut into pavements so bikes don't have to swerve out into traffic...

New plans by the Mayor of London will see cycle lanes in the capital undertake buses at bus stops, stopping riders from having to swing out into busy traffic when buses pull over to pick up passengers.

The lanes are at present to be an extension of the blue Cycle Superhighways, and cut left into the pavement at bus stops. Passengers alighting from buses will have to check bikes are not coming before crossing the path.

The lanes are in testing near the notorious Bow Roundabout in East London.

To cyclists it's obviously a great idea - taking away a lot of the stress of overtaking a bus, trying to check the driver won't pull out again - but not everyone thinks so.

However, David Kent, London engagement officer of Guide Dogs for the Blind, told the Evening Standard the design would put visually impaired people at risk.

He said: “Cyclists are impossible to hear — they are the silent menace. Where it puts our particular client group at risk is exactly with designs like this.”

Six of the new bus stops will be installed near Stratford as part of a 1.5 mile extension to the superhighway scheme there, and Transport for London will place more elsewhere if the design proves effective.

TfL said the number of cyclists using the existing superhighway had increased by 28 per cent since it was installed in September 2010, with a 55 per cent rise in the Bow Road section.

Add new comment

35 comments

Avatar
a.jumper replied to daloriana | 11 years ago
0 likes
daloriana wrote:

Whilst I agree with the sentiment of most of the comments here, perhaps 'we' are not the intended users of this facility?[...]
regarding 'collisions', which would you prefer, a pedestrian, or a bus/car? I'd take an increase in the former for a decrease in the latter.

Seems like a false dilemma. If there's enough spare width for a decent bike lane, dent the bus stop into the path by it and enable bicycles to overtake, in lane, on the right.

Maybe we're not the intended users, but we're the ones who'll get abuse for not using this dangerous nonsense!

Avatar
daloriana replied to a.jumper | 11 years ago
0 likes

Baby steps, this idea being a small step in the right direction.

Canning this idea will not stop abuse.

Avatar
a.jumper replied to daloriana | 11 years ago
0 likes
daloriana wrote:

Baby steps, this idea being a small step in the right direction.

Canning this idea will not stop abuse.

It's the wrong direction! This is on the left when we need space on the right!

Canning this idea will prevent more abuse.

Avatar
daloriana replied to a.jumper | 11 years ago
0 likes

So, lets keep everything exactly as it is, and achieve peak cycling early?

I KNOW this isn't ideal, but I think its progress. Perhaps not in the direction we'd like, but its better than what we've got is the only point I'm trying to make.

Avatar
a.jumper | 11 years ago
0 likes

Is it better? It replaces one problem - bus/bike conflict - with another - bike/walker conflict. Crashing into Walkers might be better for bikes, but is it better in general? I'd rather have no problems if we could!

Pages

Latest Comments