“They treat disabled people with contempt”: Disability charity criticise government’s ‘floating’ bus lanes after ministers accused of ‘underplaying’ evidence of danger; Punchy finale without fans at wildfire-affected Tour de France + more on the live blog

Floating bus stops are, admittedly, slightly odd things. A solution to maintaining the flow of cyclists and scooter users whilst allowing pedestrians to reach the bus. Earlier this year, we reported on the criticism of a single zebra stripe that appeared to be connecting a pavement to a bus stop, although that criticism came from a group of motorists who appeared irritated at the thought of any cycle infrastructure at all…

> “Jazzy” £17 million cycle lane under fire from motorists’ group due to “tiny” single stripe zebra crossing link to floating bus stop

In 2024, the then Conservative Transport Secretary Mark Harper was reportedly considering a ban on them altogether, a proposal which drew a swift backlash from cycling campaigners and active travel commissioners alike.

> Warning government considering ban on floating bus stops “could stop new protected cycle lanes”

Now, the Daily Mail have got in on the ‘debate’ and are accusing the government of ‘ignoring’ its own advice. It should be said the Mail’s take on floating bus stops should be taken with a pinch of salt, particularly when the angle taken is that Labour are “pandering to the cycling lobby.”

The substance of their story is a report by the Government’s disabled persons transport advisory committee (DPTAC), which the ‘paper has seen following a freedom of information request. It accuses the government of ‘underplaying’ concerns raised by disabled and vulnerable people about floating bus stops.

The report called for the installation of floating bus stops to be “paused until further research is complete” with more emphasis recommended on the “suitable calming measures to alert cyclists of the need for a change in behaviour, to slow down and give way to pedestrians.”

The key element of the story is the conflation of two different types of infrastructure, a “shared use bus stop boarder” which sees pedestrians boarding and disembarking the bus from the cycle lane itself, and a “bus stop bypass” which sees the bus stop ‘float’ on an island accessible across a cycle lane by a small zebra crossing.

The pavement, cycle lane, and island are typically segregated by a combination of kerbs, different paint colours, and surfaces. The former was banned last year, whilst the latter remains a standard design in active travel policy.

But that’s not enough for some campaigners.

Sarah Gayton, from the National Federation of the Blind of the UK, speculates that the ministerial code might have been broken by the government knowingly misleading Parliament. She added, “This is supposed to be the Labour Party but they treat disabled people with contempt.”

The Mail also quoted the Guide Dogs charity which found their dogs are “predisposed” to avoiding the floating bus stops as they didn’t perceive them as safe.

In response, the Department for Transport said “further research” was being carried out, and that they wanted accessibility “at the heart of these designs” and would make funding available to local authorities to modify their floating bus stops where necessary.

It unfortunately seems like this debate won’t be resolved easily…

Thanks to everyone who joined us in Bath, our Liam made a snazzy video of the whole shebang, including a cameo from yours truly right at the end…

 

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We’ll try and organise a similar event sometime in the autumn!

 

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No reason to pick on the Nottinghamshire town, just the first place that hosts the Tour of Britain more often that you think that came to mind…

Whilst we wait for the break to stick, one thing that excited the internet at the weekend was the sight of Netcompany-Ineos dunking their arms in ice during their Team Time Trial warm-up.

 

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The aim was to ‘warm up’ the muscles whilst keeping the body’s core body temperature down, and whilst people were excited by the novelty, veteran journalist and author extraordinaire was on hand to point out the technique wasn’t new…

Keep seeing people describe Ineos’ use of pre cooling ice baths for the arms as “new”. It’s not. GB used it at the Athens Olympic Games… in 2004

— willfoth.bsky.social (@willfoth.bsky.social) 5 July 2026 at 09:48

With the Tour de France getting underway on Saturday, so too did Channel 5’s nightly highlights coverage. Fronted by our old colleague Rebecca Charlton, I didn’t mind the lack of pundits, but I felt the opening TTT needed a lot more context, both as to the format and even a view of the course would’ve helped. The editing was also a little clunky, notably when there was a 30-40 second section without any commentary, including a crucial moment when Mattias Skjelmose punctured.

Hopefully as the race settles down so does the coverage, but it was difficult to meaningfully separate the programme from Warner Bros. Discovery’s own in-house offerings on Quest or DMAX. It was produced by TNT Sports after all. We’d be interested to hear your thoughts however. How have you been consuming the race so far? Have you even dabbled in some of S4C’s live coverage? Let us know in the comments…

We’ve seen all sorts of attacks, including a sustained move from Richard Carapaz, who supposedly isn’t riding GC, but there’s a crash right at the front of the peloton. Visma’s Bruno Armirail was among the first to go down, Del Toro also went down but remounted quickly. The French rouleur is back up and on his bike but pedalling very gingerly. His knee doesn’t seem right, a trip to the doctor’s car might be imminent.

In the meantime a large group has slipped away, I reckon it’s around 20 strong, and just lurking at the back of it is Tadej Pogacar! Very very interesting, 1km remaining of the first climb of the day…

Saying that, the group are caught except for Javier Romo and Valentin Paret-Peintre who lead over the top and try to push on. Maybe UAE realised it wasn’t a good look to push on in the aftermath of a crash. Meanwhile we already have a grupetto forming a couple of minutes behind the front of the race. What a chaotic day, and not one Jonas Vingegaard would have wanted…

The neutralised roll-out has just ended, and stage three is underway! The breakaway formation is ongoing, and could continue for a while. Today’s stage features a category-1 climb and a punchy uphill finish. Later in the race, a stage like this would be a slam dunk for the break but is it too tempting for the big hitters?

After Jonas Vingegaard won the Team Time Trial for Visma Lease a bike, taking his first maillot jaune since he won the whole thing in 2023, yesterday’s stage was, dare I say, a little anti-climactic.

Brandon McNulty deterred any attacks on the first two laps of Montjuïc, before Adam Yates took over on the final lap. Only on the descent did Isaac del Toro get away, whilst the ease with which Tadej Pogacar bridged to him and kept looking behind as they approached the line sent an ominous warning to all the others.

Thanks to time bonuses, Pogacar moved to within six seconds of Vingegaard, whilst Del Toro also moved up to fourth overall.

Here’s some of Ryan’s observations from his stage-by-stage guide…

“Featuring 3,850m of elevation (a heady proposition so early in the race), it boasts a proper first-cat climb in the Col de Toses (9.3km at 6.5 per cent), while the combination of the Col du Calvaire and the finishing kick to Les Angles could draw out some GC contenders. A plucky opportunist could also take advantage of any conservatism in the bunch to nab a few days in the yellow jersey. Sofa score: 7/10″

Our Ryan has been in and around the Grand Depart all weekend, here’s what he’s been filing in dispatches:

> Did the Tour de France’s team time trial experiment work? Despite the popularity of the new format, I might become a bit of a gadfly on this one. But it’s nice to see a couple of pros agreeing with me at least…

Amid searing heatwaves, EF’s CEO Jonathan Vaughters has some considered opinions on cycling during the climate crisis, even if he makes the mistake of explaining something to a group of scribes with physical gestures. You’ll have to read to find out what he was talking/gesticulating about though…

> “Cycling is fundamentally a green sport”: EF boss Jonathan Vaughters calls on teams to “take responsibility” as Tour de France on red alert due to extreme heat

The latest modification to adapt to the dangerous conditions is the closure to spectators of the final 40km of today’s stage. Or at least a request by race organisers to stay away…

> Tour de France fans told not to attend stage finish due to “frightening” Pyrenean wildfires

Elsewhere, we’ve got our first bit of fruit-based nonsense…

> “Don’t run next to the riders, even if you’re a banana,” Tour de France warns after fancy dress fan almost disrupts breakaway (and gets smacked in the head for his troubles)

A good tech-y feature (and video):

> 12 cycling trends NOT to copy from the Tour de France pros — do we really need slammed stems, ceramic bearings and integrated everything?

And, we’ve also got an impressive feature on Paul Seixas who, despite a tense mechanical and near-miss yesterday, has emerged from the opening weekend unscathed…

> Inspired choice or insanity? The risks and rewards of Paul Seixas riding the Tour de France

Riders including Paul Seixas are almost taken out on a narrow section as the Tour de France reaches Barcelona! 😳 pic.twitter.com/UvaxAE0Kgq

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) July 5, 2026