Call for action as TfL stats reveal buses pose as big a danger to cyclists as lorries

Buses are just as dangerous for cyclists in London as lorries - but they do not kill as often.

Lorries cause far more fatalities, but some years, buses are causing more major injuries to cyclists per kilometer cycled, according to figures released by the Mayor of London.

Darren Johnson, a London Assembly Green Party Member, told road.cc: “It’s right that we urgently act to stop the tragedy of deaths from HGV collisions, but the scale of cycling and pedestrian casualties from bus collisions has been a neglected problem for too long.

"London relies on its buses and there are simple and easy steps that Transport for London could take to make them safer, starting by writing safety requirements into the bus company contracts.

"The Mayor should also commission a safety study which looks at where there are particular bus routes, or stretches of road that need to be made safer.”

TfL figures suggest that bus services run over half a billion kilometers per year, whilst HGVs cover over a billion kilometers per year.

In 2009 lorries accounted for more KSIs than buses per kilometre, but in 2010, 2011 and 2012 buses were linked to more deaths and major injuries per kilometre.

In 2009 HGVs were connected to one KSI per 41.6m km, while buses were involved in 1 KSI per 55.5m km.

By 2012 HGVs were connected to 1 KSI per 76.9m  km while buses were involved in 
1 KSI per 26.3m km

In 2009 there were 8 cycling and pedestrian fatalities connected to lorries, and only one connected to a bus collision. By 2012 there were 4 fatalities involving a lorry and none with a bus involved.