London Assembly calls for pause on floating bus stop installations

The London Assembly has asked the mayor to instruct Transport for London (TfL) to pause installation of all floating bus stops, after members voted 17 to three in favour of the motion.

The call goes beyond TfL’s existing pause on designs that require passengers to step directly into a cycle lane. Work is continuing on three floating bus stops where cyclists pass behind the passenger waiting area.

A floating bus stop, also called a bus stop bypass or island, has a cycle lane between the pavement and the area where passengers wait. People boarding or leaving a bus may need to cross the lane. The Assembly said the arrangements had left some Londoners fearing for their safety, particularly people who are blind or partially sighted, older, or disabled.

Keith Prince AM, who proposed the motion, said the growing number of collisions and near misses could not be ignored. He said every Londoner should be able to board and leave a bus without fearing for their safety, and argued that the designs put pedestrians at risk.

The Assembly cited incidents at stops across the capital. In Camden, a disabled man was struck in the ribs and ankle by an e-bike rider after getting off a bus. He said the driver told him similar incidents had happened many times at that stop, and that he had previously narrowly avoided being hit there.

Other examples cited included footage of a child hit by a cyclist while crossing a cycle lane to reach a bus stop in south London, and a pedestrian knocked over by a cyclist near St Thomas’ Hospital. The Assembly also referred to video from Waltham Forest showing cyclists passing close to wheelchair users and blind pedestrians at a stop.

Seb Dance, the deputy mayor for transport, said he had been punched by a cyclist after challenging them for failing to give way to a pedestrian at a floating bus stop.

TfL said it remained committed to making London’s transport network as accessible as possible. It said it continued to follow government guidance on floating bus stops, which it described as important to delivering protected cycle infrastructure and improving road safety.

The transport authority said it was working with disabled people, older Londoners and accessibility groups to better understand their experiences and identify opportunities for further improvements. The Assembly’s motion asks the mayor to direct TfL to pause installations of any kind; TfL’s stated pause covers only designs where passengers step directly into a cycle lane.

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