Warning government considering ban on floating bus stops "could stop new protected cycle lanes"

A cycling campaign group and London's walking and cycling commissioner have warned that a potential ban on the floating bus stop design of cycle lane could "stop new protected cycle lanes", would mean "fewer people cycling" and "lives at risk across the country".

The reaction comes after the Guardian this afternoon broke the news that the Transport Secretary Mark Harper is considering a ban on the cycle lane design which sees passengers walk cross cycling infrastructure to access bus stops.

Despite having attracted criticism from many, notably from blindness campaigners and charities who say the design puts blind people in danger and can be intimidating, they have been used widely across Europe and some UK cities due to challenge of building effective protected cycle lanes on bus routes when road space is limited.

> "Like playing Russian roulette": Blind people raise concerns about 'floating' cycle lane bus stops

In January, leaked documents suggested that there was a "low risk" of cyclist collisions at floating bus stops, slides from a presentation made by London's Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman showing that of 623 reported instances of pedestrians being injured in a collision with a cyclist in London between 2020 and 2022, just four occurred at a floating bus stop (0.6 per cent — two people were seriously injured and another two suffered minor injuries).

It is to that context that Norman has this afternoon reacted to the news that the Transport Secretary is considering banning the design by warning that it could "stop new protected cycle lanes, putting lives at risk across the country", whereas the risk of a cyclist hitting a pedestrian at one is "very low".

The London Cycling Campaign also reacted, saying the "evidence" does not suggest that they "represent a major barrier to mobility, a major danger, nor a new emerging issue".

"Yes, some cyclists fail to stop, yes, better design guidance needed, but removing them would mean likely fewer people cycling, particularly women, kids, elderly and disabled people," a thread on social media began. "Meanwhile, there are other issues government is dodging — it's sat on pavement parking action for years, a huge issue for the visually impaired, disabled people, parents etc. (and don't get us started on how many signalised junctions lack pedestrian crossing signals, or are staggered crossings, or force you to wait for minutes at a time!)

"This, then is the government... promoting a 'Plan for Drivers', which is increasingly leaving any planning for cycling, walking, wheeling, the climate and road danger by the roadside, stranded."

The Guardian's Peter Walker explained how it is believed Harper has taken the concerns of groups such as the National Federation of the Blind UK (NFBUK) seriously because he formerly served as the minister for disabled people.

> "More needs to be done": Sadiq Khan to "raise awareness" among London cyclists for improving safety of floating bus stops

Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK's head of campaigns, commented on the news: "Bus stop bypasses are needed to separate cyclists from motor traffic on some roads which include bus routes and cycle routes, to create continuous cycle tracks which enable more people to cycle safely, enabling them to live healthier, happier, and greener lives.

"But we must ensure this is done in cooperation with people with disabilities, whose needs must be fully considered in the design process."

A Department for Transport spokesperson added: "While TfL are responsible for these schemes in London, we expect local authorities to engage with disability groups and follow our guidance which clearly sets out that all infrastructure designs should be accessible for everyone."

Yesterday, Transport Secretary Harper said tougher legislation to prosecute cyclists who kill or injure pedestrians is "under review" and will be considered "with an open mind", the comments coming after Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former leader of the Conservative Party, has this week tabled a series of amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill that would see cyclists, as well as riders of electric scooters and "personal transporters", subject to stricter laws if they ride dangerously and kill or injure.